Starstruck!
by wEiRdo.bLaBBer
Summary: AU: (Multiple pairings, mainly GraLu) The newest band, Fairy Tail, was flying low. Gray was unmotivated. Natsu was a troublemaker and Gajeel was just rude. Thus, the management sends them to high school to learn a few things. A futile attempt? Or… 'The start of something new?
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: **Okay, so I'm only going to say this **once**—and I mean it. _**I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL**__._ Characters are credited to Hiro Mashima. Plot is mine. Please respect our works. **THEY ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES. **Thank you.

**SUMMARY: **The newest band, Fairy Tail, was flying low. Gray was unmotivated. Natsu was a troublemaker and Gajeel was just rude. Thus, the management sends them to high school to learn a few things. A futile attempt? Or… 'The start of something new'?

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I finished Another Shot at Love with much love from my readers and I realized I really liked writing after all. Can't seem to get this overactive imagination of mine under control so I'm starting a new fanfic which will have some singing and dancing. Strange, huh? But I hope you guys like it! R & R, minna! Love, love, love! 3

**PS: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-PROLOGUE-**_  
__Where the curtains are raised and the concert begins!_

Excited chattering could be heard inside the pitch black hall. Glow-in-the-dark letters and shapes neatly glued into cardboards could be seen emitting their lights, spelling out names and words of extreme admiration.

Soon, blue headlights flooded the room and the smoke machine started, filling the stage at the center with fogs. Three silhouettes appeared, making the crowd grow ballistic as they screamed their hearts out.

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

The drumsticks were smashed against each other and the crowd was silenced as the pink-haired drummer started to hit the drums with much practice. He moved his head accordingly to the fast beat and the raven-haired teenager holding the electric guitar wearing a white suit and pants started strumming like crazy. His expertise made girls in the crowd drool and scream. He opened his mouth and started to sing the start of the song,

_Hey, girl, tell me your name  
Promise I won't bite  
Just wanna know you  
Just wanna spend some time_

The teenager continued to sing as he played his guitar with ease. He stopped playing halfway and pointed to the crowd with a smirk on his face.

"_Kyaaaa! Gray-sama!_"

The guitarist stepped to the side as the bassist took center stage and started to show-off his skills on the instrument. He, too, wore white: a white sleeveless top with tattered sleeves and white pants. Unlike the guitarist, however, the boy gave of an indifferent aura, except for a smirk that was written on his face the whole while that he was on stage.

"_Gajeel-sama, look here!_"

The beat gradually intensified and the adlib for the drums came. The blue lights faded and a bright yellow spotlight focused on the salmon-haired drummer who still had a smile etched on his face. He sang the chorus together with the other two boys and their voices harmonized, giving off a very powerful sound.

_I've been looking awhile  
I can tell you're one-of-a-kind  
No one is like you  
You're my one-in-a-million find_

"_Natsu-chan! Marry me!_" came a scream from the crowd. Natsu smiled and somehow, while still playing, took off his white vest and threw it to the girl, who fainted upon catching it.

The drums beat steadily, the guitar and bass played a unique melody that had captivated the audience; the trio sang expertly as they played and with one final strum, Gray Fullbuster breathed in deeply and sang the high-pitched ending.

"_You're my one-in-a-million find-~-_"

The music faded, the lights dimmed once again. The crowd screamed and cheered, even though the three had already left the stage. Silently, they went to the backstage as the MC spoke.

"And that was Fairy Tail, who had just debuted last month with their hit single _'One in a Million Find_'—"

"What the hell was that?" Gajeel said, smirking at Gray who was suddenly sullen and annoyed. "Your voice wavered at the end!"

"Gray killed the ending," Natsu said, smiling half-heartedly. "We told you not to. You're so hard-headed."

"Wait 'til the old man hears," teased Gajeel.

"_Boys_!"

The three turned around and saw a short old man in a white suit approaching them. This man had silver hair and moustache and he wore a silly hat and even sillier shoes. On his left was a muscular blonde who had a scary scar on his left eye. On the old man's right was a red-head who was strict-looking and looked at Gray with a gaze that could kill.

"Jii-chan!" said Natsu with a smile. However, the smile faded upon seeing how serious the man's face was. "J-Jii-chan…?"

"Gajeel-kun," he started and looked up at the rough guy named Gajeel who was taken aback at the strict tone he gave off. Gajeel pouted, "You disrespected the director of the show and called him a '_half-assed bastard_'."

"Well, it _was _true!" he hissed.

"That doesn't mean you _could _call him that, idiot!" said the man and stepped on Gajeel's foot. After this, he stared at the drummer. "Natsu!"

"H-Hai!"

"You pulled a prank on one of the crew and locked him up in the bathroom. And yesterday, you put salt in everyone's drink!"

"Th-They found out, huh?" said Natsu, sweat-dropping nervously.

"I told you to be _civil_!" exclaimed the old man and hit Natsu at the back of his head. "You guys are rising stars, _don't _ruin you reputation!"

"S-Sorry, old man…" Natsu said apologetically, scratching the part that was hit.

"Moreover," he said in the strictest tone he could muster as he stared at Gray, "I am _very _disappointed in you."

"Master, please let me," said the scarlet-haired woman behind him. She stepped forward and stared at Gray, her eyebrows meeting at the center of her forehead. Gray gulped. "What happened?"

"I was… I was out of breath…" he excused. "I was playing and running around at the stage so it couldn't be helped, right?"

"No!" she said, "You _weren't _breathing properly in the first place! I could tell just by listening to your voice! What happened to all that I've taught you?"

"So what?" Gray answered back. "It's not like the audience would find out or anything. They'd just think it was some sort of grace note."

"You ignorant fellow," said Erza who stared even more intensely at Gray. The boy had wished he hadn't spoken at all.

"Erza, you're such a worry-wart," said Natsu, putting a hand on Erza's shoulder. "I'm sure it won't happen again."

"It won't," the blonde was the one who spoke now and he looked at the three with a mocking smile.

"What do you mean, Laxus?" asked Gray.

"I've been hearing that aside from all of your blunders, you've also been skipping training and practice," said the old man. He crossed his arms and, with a displeased look, tapped his foot on the floor.

"_They found out, Gray…_" Natsu whispered to the raven-haired guitarist.

"_Sh-Shut up, Pink!_" Gray whispered back.

"That's why we've decided that you guys should be rehabilitated," said the master.

"Rehabilitated?!" they chorused. Somehow, it did not sound very fun.

"Yes," Erza said, "Time to learn the basics again."

"What do you mean?" asked Gray, who was already disapproving the idea. "What do you mean, '_rehabilitated_'?"

"The three of you," said the master, "Are going to high school."

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK (2): **If you've noticed, when Gray was singing the end part, I wrote - and then '~' in the middle. It was the part where his voice wavered. Poor Gray, he doesn't seem to be taking things seriously.

Another thing, the lyrics of _'One in a Million Find' _is mine so forgive me if it's not too good.

Other than that, any queries or suggestions, please PM me. Don't forget to R&R, okay?


	2. Chapter 1

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **So far so good. Now, onto the second chapter! Please enjoy!

**PS: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER ONE-**_  
__Where the true 'rehabilitation' is-?!_

The three teenagers stared as the passed the school gates. Today, unlike any day they've had after debuting, they wore school uniforms and brought with them bags which had a number of books, notes and pens. Looking outside the tinted window of their van, they saw a four-storey building painted cream. There were several trees around, lined one after the other at both sides of the pathways. There were a lot of students, too, wearing the same uniform, the color of mud.

Gray Fullbuster, the leader, took out the shades he had from his inside pocket and wore it. _What a boring-looking school. Can't believe we'll be attending here._ He heaved a deep sigh of discontent before leaning back on his seat.

"It looks shabby," said Natsu weakly. Whenever he rides on any mode of transportation, he usually gets motion-sick. Today was no different and he looked disapprovingly at the school with eyes that drooped without any strength at all. "Is this _really _where we'll be learning all we need to know?"

Erza Scarlet, who drove the van, adjusted the rear-view mirror to look at the three properly, who were seated at the back.

"Yes… This is where I used to attend, too," she announced.

"So this is where you got those hellish trainings you've been putting us through?" asked Gajeel, rude as always. He smirked as he, too, wore shades and put his hair up into a ponytail.

"Don't push me too far, Gajeel," Erza warned. "You don't want me to get angry, would you?"

The boy only gulped and looked away nervously.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she said, contented.

"But what about our schedules, Erza? Wouldn't there be any conflict?" Gray asked. Erza had already parked the van in the visitors' parking area and stopped the engine. Immediately, Natsu went back to life.

"Yeah, Erza… Won't it be bad if we missed our schedules?" the pink-haired teen asked.

"We've fixed all your upcoming events and appearances so that you can go to school without any worries," Erza said. "So make sure you _don't _cause any troubles here. Your reputations, as well as the company's, are on the line."

* * *

It was hard enough for Gray, Gajeel, Natsu and Erza to walk around the school without getting stared at. Although Erza wasn't famous and both Gray and Gajeel had worn shades, Natsu didn't like to wear disguises and so attracted attention to himself, and ultimately, to the four of them.

It was a good thing, though, that the fans knew their places and didn't try to ask for autographs and photos, probably because the school bell had rung and everyone was off to their respective classes. Meanwhile, Erza had led the three to the third floor, where their classroom was supposed to be.

"The three of you will be staying in this class," Erza said when they finally stopped at the first classroom to the left of the stairs. There was a sign that read '2-A' above the door, indicating that the three were enrolled as second years in the school.

"How long will we have to do this?" asked Gray, taking off his shades and staring at the sign.

"_As long as it takes_," Erza said in a deadly tone, making the three step back nervously.

"_H-Hai, Erza-sama_!" they chorused unwillingly, out of fear. All of a sudden, the sliding door opened and from inside the room, a man with blue hair and tattooed face came out with a reluctant smile on his face. He looked from side to side and upon seeing the four, his smile grew wider.

"_Erza_," the kindness in the man's eyes lightened the atmosphere. "The principal told me you were coming but you're surprisingly early."

"Sorry, Jellal," said Erza, emitting the same light aura as the blue-haired man, "But the sooner we got here, the better."

"Fan mob?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "Anyway, I'm really sorry to trouble you with this bunch."

The man laughed at this remark. "Don't worry. This class is already troublesome as it is so what could three more do, right?"

"Don't underestimate these guys when it comes to troublemaking," Erza warned, "_Especially Natsu_."

"Geez, you always see me…" complained the drummer and he pouted.

"I see. You're Natsu Dragneel-kun, right?" Jellal said. "So nice to meet you. And you guys must be Gajeel Redfox and Gray Fullbuster."

The three nodded.

"Well, I'll leave you to it, then," said Erza who smiled before walking away.

"Shall we go in?" invited Jellal to the three of them.

"Jellal, was it?" said Gajeel in an almost-disrespectful tone. "You may already know this but we're idols."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that."

"So please don't let the class get too distracted by us. And please act as if we're any other students," he said bluntly.

Jellal smirked at his statement and turned his back on them, toward the door of the classroom. "Don't worry. Because even if you're idols or even if you're princes, you're _my _students. And in this class, _I _call the shots."

* * *

The day dragged on for the three of them. They were stuck in the room the whole day, without being able to eat lunch because of all the people who flocked to meet them, get autographs and take photos. The only breaks they have were when they went to the toilet.

At exactly three o'clock, Jellal dismissed the class but because of the possibility that people would flock, the three had to escape to the rooftop and wait until late in the afternoon, when most of the people have gone home already.

"I'm really tired," complained Natsu who lay on his back lazily, staring at the twilight sky. "This is more tiring than fan-meet events and performances."

"I agree," said Gray. "And we didn't even get to learn anything about singing or dancing. Just a bunch of lessons about maths, sciences and history."

"I think we're being ripped-off," suggested Gajeel, who pouted as he leaned on the wall. "Hey, isn't Erza coming to get us yet?"

"She hasn't texted yet so that'd be a negative," Natsu answered. "I _really _want to go back to the dorm and—"

"_Sssh_!" exclaimed Gray suddenly and he straightened his back and cocked his head to the side, as if listening to something. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Natsu, who sat up straight and listened, too. Gajeel did the same.

The three became silent as they listened. At first, nothing was registered to their ears but after a while, they could hear voices singing from somewhere faraway.

"That sounds like people _vocalizing_…" Natsu suggested and he stood up.

"Yeah, seems so," Gray agreed. "Hey, let's go check it out."

"Tiresome," Gajeel said.

"You got any other ideas on how to pass time until Erza comes?" asked the leader, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. Gajeel grunted. "I thought so."

The three stealthily went down the stairs, avoiding people here and there. Following the sound, the three came upon a huge room on the fourth floor where a number of people _were_, in fact, vocalizing.

"They're pretty good," Natsu complimented. "Been a while since _we've _actually done vocal exercises, huh?"

"Hmph," exclaimed Gajeel. "It's because we're busy. Vocalizing takes time; we don't have much on our hands."

"Ara, I've been looking for you three," said a voice from behind them and they turned, only to see Jellal, their tattooed teacher.

"Oh, it's _you_," said Gajeel rudely.

"You don't seem too happy to see me, Gajeel-kun," said Jellal.

"Anyway," said Gray to avoid a conflict from rising, "You said you were looking for us. Why is that?"

"_Training_," he said with a gentle smile.

"Training?" they chorused in confusion. "For what?"

"Erza tells me you were having problems because you didn't train. So she referred you guys to _me_."

"What kind of training will it be?" asked Gray.

"For the duration of your stay here," said Jellal, "You guys will be singing _in a choir_."

"_What_?!" the three chorused in extreme protest.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK (2): **I know, I know... It's not very good, right? At least, not yet... Anyway, I promise you guys will see Lucy and have GraLu soon. Until then, please be more patient with meeeeee~!


	3. Chapter 2

**THE STORY SO FAR: **Gray, Gajeel and Natsu, collectively known as the new band Fairy Tail, were off to a rough start. They had personal and professional issues that needed to be sorted out. So, as part of training, Makarov sends them to a high school to train. But instead of being trained in their own field, they're going to be joining a not-so-famous choir! So much for expectation. Now how is _this _going to play out?

**PS: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWO-**_  
__Where our heroes just might be zeros after all!_

Lucy Heartfilia had heard that idols had come to their school early that morning. Unfortunately, she had no idea what they looked like. How could she? The girl, despite being a teenager, had no interest whatsoever in the world of showbiz. Lucy didn't have television in her pad. She lived alone in a condo unit, financed by her father; however, she did not bother to buy a TV but instead bought an upright piano and installed a mini-studio in one of the rooms.

_Idols, huh_, she remembered herself thinking. Because they were called 'fairytale', she had pictured goddess-like women with long, flowing blond hair and light blue eyes. Whether or not this is accurate, she didn't care so much. She found idols rather pretentious and simply strange that they would go on TV to embarrass themselves in front of millions of viewers. It was also simply because of this that she had no clue on who these idols were and how they looked like. She had only heard rumors that they were good singers, and so had to give them credit for that.

Late in the afternoon, during choir practice, the blond freshman noticed three rather elegant-looking guys outside the music room. One of them looked like a yakuza, with long shaggy hair and piercings lined up on the bridge of his nose. He had killing intent in his gaze and Lucy made a mental note not to interact with him so much. Another guy had wild unruly hair the color of salmon. He had a playful and energetic look, with eyes that were big and curious. _He seems clueless_, Lucy thought to herself. But friendly, though. The last boy had dark blue hair—or was that black? He had droopy but tantalizing eyes and a smart stance. Of the three, he seemed to be the most normal. But there was something, Lucy couldn't pinpoint just what, that lacked in those eyes of his.

"Lucy-chan?" said the pianist, a petite, blue-haired girl named Levy McGarden. She immediately stopped playing and looked outside the window, where Lucy was also staring at. There she saw their drill master, Jellal, talking with three familiar-looking men and leading them inside.

"Why did you stop, Levy?" asked Jellal as he walked in. The three guys followed.

"_F-Fairy Tail_!" Levy exclaimed loudly and Lucy's ears rang.

_Fairytale_? _Them_? She couldn't believe it. Not only were they not blonde or blue-eyed, they weren't female at all! Talk about a let-down.

"Ah, these guys," smiled Jellal, "They're our _special_ trainees."

_Trainees_? thought Lucy. _Idols becoming trainees? What a joke!_

"Wait, we never agreed to any of this," the droop-eyed guy said calmly to Jellal.

"Your management specifically asked me to take care of you guys, and they're paying me to do it, too," Jellal explained. "If I don't do my job, how would they get their money's worth?"

Lucy saw how intently he stared at Jellal. After a while, he said, "But you're a _choir_. You sing differently from us. How are we supposed to sing pop if we're taught classical?"

The blond's ears rang. _Is this guy playing or was he just plain ignorant_? The way he said that, he was clearly looking down on all of them!

"Oh, please, don't say that," Jellal said as nicely as he could. However, Lucy knew he was a bit insulted at the idol's words. "Classical and pop have the same fundamentals in breathing, stance, and mouth opening. Besides, we won't know until we give it a shot, _right_?"

"Yeah, Gray," said the pink-haired guy all of a sudden. "And this looks real fun!"

A smile split apart Lucy's lips. The clueless guy was very nice and friendly, even for an idol. It wouldn't be hard to get along with him.

"Well, then. As the tradition, I'd like to hear our new trainees sing," said the drill master, walking towards the piano. "You can sing whatever you like. I'm sure Levy can catch up."

Levy looked up at him, smiling. Nothing was ever too hard for her to play. She was just a genius like that, and Lucy admired her for it.

"Name?" asked the pink-haired idol to Levy. The pianist answered sheepishly with a big smile lighting up her face. "Nice to meet you, Levy. My name is Natsu. Those guys are Gray and Gajeel."

"Yes, I know. Actually, I'm a fan," the girl answered.

"Cool! So, you know our song, _'One-in-a-Million Find_'?"

"You want to sing it in a mellow version?" she said excitedly, somewhat honored.

"Always nice to try something new, right? Key of _F_," he said.

Lucy watched as the three prepared themselves. The happy guy, Natsu, seemed to be very knowledgeable. At least he didn't become an idol without at least knowing the basics. The girl smiled. She looked at the other two: the guy with the piercings, Gajeel, looked as if he was mentally saying 'What a pain,' while the last guy, Gray looked completely uninterested.

Meanwhile, Levy played a beautiful melody that gave Lucy goosebumps. As usual, Levy's fingers hadn't failed to bring her to heaven with its music. After four beats, Gray sang.

_This guy_, Lucy thought. _Is he really a trained idol_? It wasn't that his voice wasn't good because it was. The girl only noticed that aside from not breathing properly, there was no expression in his voice despite the really romantic lyrics. Lucy looked at Jellal; he seems to be thinking of the same thing.

The chorus came and the three sang harmoniously. Despite Gray's indifference and Gajeel's rough and husky voice, Natsu balanced and blended their voices perfectly, thus creating a pleasing melody that made Lucy's heart flutter. The song itself wasn't the only thing that was special; when the three sing together, a beautiful sound was created. It wasn't perfect, but beautiful nonetheless.

The song continued and more or less, Lucy figured out the three's singing styles. It seems they have been trained but not as sharply as she expected idols to be. They had problems, the three of them. She didn't know what but she was positive of it. Lucy knew she was a good judge of character and if her gut tells her they've got issues, then they're sure to have issues.

The piano's beat retarded, preparing for a dramatic ending. Lucy braced herself. Who would be singing the last part? Natsu? After all, he would be the most suitable one to do so. She watched the three carefully and saw how Gray breathed in deeply as his shoulders raised in preparation to end the song.*****

_That breathing… What is he—_?

"_Okay_! That's enough," interrupted Jellal with a smile. "I've somehow gotten a glimpse of your voices."

The blond looked with worry at Gray, whose moment was stolen by Jellal. He had shot daggers at their drill master with that gaze of his. Lucy couldn't blame him. He had embarrassed himself in front of the choir and Jellal didn't seem to trust his abilities so much.

_But had he continued, he's sure to fail and become a bigger embarrassment_, the girl thought. _He wasn't breathing properly. That ending would've been a blunder. Jellal-senpai saved his butt and he should be thankful._

"Gray and Natsu can sit in with the tenors and Gajeel sits with the basses. We'll save the introductions for later," said Jellal. "For now, let's start training, shall we?"

* * *

Gray stared with gritted teeth outside the van's window. They were on their way back to their dorm and he was thankful to be out of that hell. He had never been so embarrassed in his life. He felt like his pride had been beat down and trampled on by that stupid group. _Do they even know who I am?_

"So? How was your first day?" asked Erza.

"Eh, pretty good," Gajeel mumbled half-heartedly. Natsu, however, was more enthusiastic.

"School was a bummer but training was cool," said Natsu. "I really enjoyed myself."

"And you, Gray?" she asked.

"I'd really like to come back tomorrow," he said both sarcastically and darkly. "And have _Jellal_ teach me a few things."

_And when that happens_, Gray thought, _I'll teach him a thing or two. Nobody messes with Gray Fullbuster and gets away with it_.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Well, we see a really dark and competitive Gray here. And how was Lucy's exposure? Haha! Drop me a review and tell me what you think.

**BY THE WAY: **Thanks to those who favorited/followed this story: **Zuellni, xoRiku, Lillian Jade, Danielle Cordona, LoveIsARose, ecurtis554 and Lolita-chi** and those who reviewed: **ichigolover, meep and WolfieANNE. **Have I forgotten anyone? Please let me know!

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my finished fanfiction, __**Another Shot at Love**__. _3

*****When singing, it's wrong to breathe the way we usually do: raising the shoulders while inhaling. Instead, we allow our stomach to expand and our diaphragm to drop. Try breathing while you're lying down and you'll see what I mean. Remember to lie down straight with your arms at your side and no pillow on your head, okay?


	4. Chapter 3

**THE STORY SO FAR: **Gray Fullbuster hated losing and so when Jellal had stolen his thunder in front of a number of singers, he just didn't like it one bit. The idol, wanting to redeem himself, stays over after school to confront Jellal—or will he?

**PS: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THREE-**_  
__Where Gray meets a ghost at room 409… Well, not really._

"Oh! Gray, you're not coming?" asked Natsu halfway climbing up the van.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon, Tuesday, and the boys' second day in high school. Erza had come immediately to take them back to the dorm to discuss matters about their new single. And since there was no _'special training'_ aka choir practice, it was a perfect chance to concentrate on their dancing. However, it seemed that the leader wanted to stay behind for some reason.

"I'll catch up later," he said calmly without even explaining. He turned his back and walked away.

"He's such a secretive guy," commented Gajeel lazily leaning on the van's backseat. He closed his eyes and crossed his legs before yawning, "He's up to something."

"Something like that," said Erza, smiling positively. Natsu got on and she started the van. "He's probably going to see Jellal."

"_Jellal_?" asked Natsu. He had found an unopened Snicker bar on the van's seat pocket. He made sure to check the expiry date before opening it and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Jellal seemed to have done something that ticked him off. And _you_ know how he gets when things go like that," she said.

"Do I?" said Natsu, suddenly remembering a distant memory. One time, when they were practicing a song, Natsu commented on Gray's singing and told him he wasn't breathing properly. However, the proud leader did not take it as constructive criticism and didn't talk to him for three whole days. Aside from that, Gray had practiced on his singing like crazy.

_But until now, Gray still hasn't corrected that mistake_, Natsu thought, enjoying the Snicker bar. _Well, it's not like just anyone can change that guy. Can't wait to see how this turns out._

* * *

The idol looked around the hall for anybody who might be around. Finding no one, he proceeded and opened the sliding door which led to the teachers' lounge.

There were several cubicles in that room. _One for each teacher_, Gray thought. _Systematic_. He would have admired the smart positioning of the cubicles that didn't make the room look cramped, the cream-colored walls and the paintings on it; however, it wasn't what he had come there for. He was looking for a young teacher who had blue hair and a weird tattoo on his face which made him look like a mafia boss.

_Why does a teacher have a tattoo, anyway? And on his face, too_, he thought, _Doesn't he know that he's not setting a good example to his students_?

He gazed around and found no Jellal, let alone a single soul. The place was deserted. _He probably doesn't stay here much_. And with that, Gray stomped out of the room, onto a stairway leading to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor was a creepy place. It was dark and depressing, with a heavy atmosphere enveloping it. It was a floor that hosted the club offices and stockrooms so nobody was around for most of the time; worse was that rumors have been circulating, even reaching the newcomers, that there were strange things going on in the fourth floor; the most famous of which was about a girl who committed suicide in room 409. Gray put all those scary thoughts out of his mind. There was no point in scaring himself. It wasn't going to get him anywhere.

He walked calmly around the hallway, passing one room after the other. As he approached the music room, the sound of piano keys being played one by one could be heard. The idol raised an eyebrow as he halted in front of the door. The sound stopped. _Strange_, he thought. _Which room is this anyway_? He looked up and he felt his chest getting heavier by the second.

The sign read room 409.

Gray tried hard not to panic. Surely, someone was pulling a prank on him. _Natsu_. It must be Natsu. Very carefully, he slid open the door and the view of the piano and mirror-lined walls greeted him. He admired his reflection for a fraction of a second and immediately glanced to the piano when out of nowhere, streaks of gold attracted his attention. There was a blonde girl sitting in front of the piano when _no one was there when he entered._

The idol gulped. _What was the story of the suicidal girl again_? He was just about to speak when the girl looked at him with hazel eyes that struck horror in his insides. Her eyes were suspecting something and searched his very soul.

"H-Hullo," he greeted and politely entered the room. "My name is Gray Fullbuster."

"I know," she replied. _Even ghosts know my name; we must be real famous, then._ "What brings you here?"

"I was… looking for someone," he said. He stood a few meters away from her, trying not to get in a five-meter-radius. "Did I disturb you?"

"Not really," she replied. "I was just practicing the piece we sang yesterday."

_Piece we sang—_ "Wait, you sing with this group?" The girl nodded. "And… And do they know?"

"What do you _mean_, 'Do they know'?"

"You're… _not _a ghost?"

The blond stared at him in amazement, then her eyebrows met and she looked at him disapprovingly. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"_Senpai_," the girl started, "Aren't you a bit too old and a bit too _famous _to believe in those stuff?"

The idol felt all the blood gush to his face. _Fuck_. He had just made a fool out of himself. In front of a freshman. _Fuck_.

He walked towards her and leaned on the piano, trying to act charismatic. It would be troublesome if this girl spread unnecessary rumors about him and his fears. In show business, _image was everything_. "Miss, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this."

"Don't worry. Nobody would probably believe me anyway," she said. "But shouldn't you be worrying about your singing, not your image?"

_This girl. She talks as if she knows everything_. It pissed Gray off whenever someone acts as if they're better than him. In his nicest tone, he said, "What's your name?"

"Lucy."

"_Lucy_," he started, "When you're in show business you need to make sure that everyone likes you so that you survive. It's a world where only the congenial survive and sell."

"And _that_'s why you're acting so nice, _senpai_?" she asked. "You know it's not really working on me."

_It's true that she doesn't seem to be the least bit flustered_, he thought. _Weird_.

"At any rate," she continued, "You wouldn't be looking for Jellal-senpai, would you?"

"So what if I am?" he snapped. No more mister nice guy.

"Too bad. He left school early because his friend died," she said. "And he won't be back until a week from now."

"And what about traini—I mean, _choir practice_?"

"We can handle it ourselves. We're not as clueless as _you _are," she said. "No offense."

"And by _that_, you mean?" How does this girl muster that much courage to bluntly insult him, a rising superstar, as if she didn't know who he was? Could it be that she _didn't _know? What is she? A country girl?

"I can only say as much as I know but… You're not really good at singing, are you?" she said and it hit Gray like an arrow, piercing through the very core of his pride.

"And you can say that _why_?"

"_You're not breathing properly_." The idol's ears rang. Somehow, some time ago, Natsu had told him those exact words with the same innocent expression on their faces.

"Look, kid," he said, "Is this how you treat an upperclassman? By insulting him?"

"It's only an insult if it isn't true," she said bluntly and courageously, "Besides, _senpai_, I may be a freshman but I'm your senior when you enter these walls. I was a member before you; two weeks ahead."

_Everyone's a critic._ "_Doesn't mean that you're any better than me_," he whispered.

"You wanna test that theory?" Gray turned to the girl who smiled even though she was obviously a bit insulted.

"_Che_, so you heard," he said. "Fine, then. How do you wanna go about with this?"

The blond cupped her chin with her hand and thought awhile. Soon enough, she snapped her fingers and her face lit up in a eureka moment. "Let's try to see who can sing a certain note the longest."

"Suits me," he said confidently. _I'll make you regret this_. He watched as the girl stood up and pressed a key on the piano. It wasn't a low note, but it wasn't high either.

"Ready? One, two, three—"

Both of them breathed in deeply at the same time and sang the note continuously. Gray was still confident for the first few seconds but after fifteen he started feeling as if he was losing air quick. Looking beside him, the girl Lucy was still continuing at a steady pace, no sign of struggle on her face.

_Have to… hold on… _he mentally noted. However, will power was not enough to make Gray win. He gave up around 22 seconds. Lucy, on the other hand, continued for ten more seconds and stopped at 32. Defeated, the idol looked at her in sheer embarrassment.

"So? _Senpai_?" she said, emphasizing somewhat sarcastically at the honorific. "What do you say now?"

The idol looked away sheepishly and balled his fists. He lost to a girl. _How humiliating_, he thought. Hopefully, this doesn't reach Gajeel or he'll be made fun of for life. "Not a word to _anybody_, understand?"

"Wouldn't dream of it…" she smiled. "You know, senpai, pride is a poison. You don't _always _need to look strong and tough. You should learn to accept your weaknesses, and then work out on them with the help of others. That's what friends are for, after all."

"Che, lecturing me…" he said. "Well, then, _senpai_, why don't _you _teach me?"

"_What_?! I can't do that! I'm not even that good yet!" she strongly disagreed, shaking her hands in front of her repeatedly. "If you want to ask for help, go to Jellal-senpai."

"I don't like him…" he said honestly. "He makes me feel inferior."

"And _I _don't?"

"Well, you're a girl, so…" he replied. The reason why he accepts lessons from Erza was also because of the same thing.

"Don't you have _anybody _to teach you? Aren't you an idol?"

"Look, kid—"

"I'm not a _kid_—"

"—Lucy. Look, Lucy… I'm a _very _competitive person. I feel that if I lose at one thing, I lose at everything… And I don't like that…" Why he was even saying his true sentiments to a complete stranger was a mystery itself to Gray. Maybe it was because of the fact that this girl saw him as just another guy and not as Gray Fullbuster, leader of Fairy Tail band? _Maybe_.

"Why is that? What's your goal? Your dream?" she said.

"We're not even close and you ask me such things. I'll tell you when we're _closer_," he said lazily. "Well? Are you going to help me? _Senpai_?"

"I can only teach you what I know so it'd be better if you also do your best during practice…" she explained. "I'll do my best, _senpai_."

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Well? How was it? Thanks to **animeaddict8, Kira no Baka, pikaqueen, Free-Bird 36 **for favoriting, following and reviewing. It is every writer's honor to be recognized. Until the next chapter! Ciao~!

**PS**, make sure to check the _expiry date _before eating anything; like Natsu! Take care, minna~! 3

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my finished fanfiction, __**Another Shot at Love**__. _3


	5. Chapter 4

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER FOUR-**_  
__Where Natsu's eyes reflect silver!_

It was Wednesday; a scorching hot one. For the first and second years, it was Physical Education day and everyone was forced to wear their thin white shirts with brown collars and their poo-colored shorts. Although usually, people would look really silly wearing these, three students on the field were rather gaining attention for looking extremely good in them.

Gajeel Redfox, who had to put his hair into a ponytail, with a red headband around the circumference of his head, was lazing around and tossing the soccer ball into the air, watching it fall back into his hands. Sweat was now forming on his forehead, the bridge of his nose and his back. He repeatedly mouthed curses because of the weather and the shorts he was in. Natsu Dragneel, childish as ever, was beside him, pink hair all over the place. He had around his neck a scaly scarf long enough to be stretched from his head to his tiptoes. He watched the clouds in the morning sky without even seeming to be blinded by the sun, screaming out names of animals and things they reminded him of. Finally was Gray Fullbuster. He, too, had a headband of pure white and he was sitting beside the other two, trying to fan himself with his hand.

"It's too hot today, _damn it_..." Gajeel finally voiced out, catching the soccer ball and tucking it under his arm. "We have to do 10 laps around the oval, too, right?"

"Yeah," Gray replied. "The instructor doesn't seem as if she likes those who laze around, either." The other two shuddered just remembering their teacher, who was a really beefy woman who had most of her body parts in extra large size. She had thick eyebrows and a tomato for a nose and her lips, painted devil red, pouted naturally. She was a scary woman-no mercy at all. They could feel that she was serious when she said that _'lazy bones will be hung on the flag pole'_.

"I have finally met a woman as scary as Erza," commented Gajeel. "Ah, it's _damn_ hot."

Two blushing girls, who were in the same outfit as them, approached the trio while carrying water bottles in their hands.

"A-Anou, _Gajeel-san_..." said one of them, a brunette of a freshman, as she handed him the water bottles, "Please take these..." After speaking, she and her companion bowed low and ran away, giggling in joy.

"At least the fans care for us..." Gajeel handed the bottles to his bandmates and opened his, glugging on the cool water immediately. "Feels good..."

"One perk about being a famous shining star," commented Gray, "Is that we're pampered and girls are always on our fairy tails-"

"_Y-You..._!"

The three boys looked ahead and saw a blond girl coming toward them, also bringing with her a water bottle. The girl had tied her golden hair sideways with a blue ribbon. She had a pretty face, with hazel brown eyes and thin lips that quivered out of embarrassment, evident in the blush of pink on her cheeks.

She approached Gray aggressively and handed him a water bottle that had a piece of yellow sticky note on it. "Here."

"What the—_Gah_!" exclaimed Gray, a look of extreme shock on his face as he read the sticky note, "What are you—?"

The girl only smiled at him before walking away, not even giving a reply. Natsu and Gajeel watched as Gray stared at the paper sulkily.

"Must be a confession…" said Natsu, "That Gray… I'm so envious of him…"

"Are you sure it's a confession and not a death threat? He looks horrified," commented Gajeel, and walking behind Gray, he read the paper out loud. "_'Run five more laps after the ten already assigned to us. For diaphragm and breathing. Lucy.'_ What the heck is that?"

"A letter from hell…" Gray stood up and energetically started to run laps ahead of all of them. He earned the screams and cheers of the squealing fangirls who only needed posters and shirts to start a fan mob.

Natsu smiled as he cheered for Gray where he was standing. _Man, both Gajeel and Gray had had girls to cheer for them I wish I had one, too._ He looked around from face to face without even knowing what he was searching for. After a while, he stopped and smiled; a silver glitter reflecting in his dark eyes.

* * *

Not only were Wednesdays physical activity days, they were also imagination days.

After running ten long laps (fifteen for poor, poor Gray), the three immediately dragged their sore bodies to the showers and cooled themselves down. After doing so, they started to climb to the rooftop where they were going to have an art class.

"So you had that blond chick teach you?" mocked Gajeel.

"Better a girl that _Jellal_," Gray pouted. His feet were still very tired from all the running around the oval and so climbing up the rooftop was a bit torturous. "Besides, he's out of town so I can't have him teach me anything, can I?"

"At least the girl's cute, right?" said Natsu.

"Are you kidding? Blondes aren't my type—_especially _that one." Gray suddenly had an image of Lucy asking him who he was and it was a bit insulting, considering the fact that they _were _famous now. _That girl has an attitude that doesn't acknowledge idols. It was only the spur of the moment that I challenged her to teach me. I didn't really think she'd take the bait_.

"We should _prank her_!" Natsu suggested positively.

"It's only been three days, do you want to get suspended?" asked Gray. Something was really wrong with Natsu's way of getting acquainted with people and he needed to fix it. Sure, playing pranks were fun but only those which are harmless. Whenever Natsu gets carried away, he tends to play dangerous pranks on those poor victims. Gray distinctly remembered one time when they were on a photoshoot for a few days, Natsu played a prank on one of the make-up artists and set off firecrackers in the bathroom cubicle she was in. What made things worse was that Natsu purposely left a Salamander mark on the floor where he had pranked her. _And everyone knows 'Salamander' is Natsu's signature nickname_. "Until we get the management's approval to leave, please don't do anyting foolish."

"That's why you're the leader," smirked Gajeel, getting Gray's point. If they were to have normal schedules again, the three should show that they deserve to be called idols. And he knew it meant putting up with the training and the school rules.

"_Man, _you guys're no fun at all." Natsu pouted as he opened the door leading to the rooftop.

There were already a few students there, and the class had begun. As the three entered, the whole class and their teacher, a man who had curly orange hair and a circular body like that of a palette, looked at them. The three shyly bowed and proceeded to the empty chairs at the very back of the class.

The teacher cleared his throat. "Well, as I was saying, I am Reedus Jonah and I will be your art instructor for the duration of this year—"

"Kinda boring, this class…" whispers Natsu to himself. He didn't really enjoy sitting and just listening to people talk for hours on end.

"Oh, please don't say that…" says a girl in a really kind voice beside him. She was smiling earnestly at him with her pale eyes and pink lips. Her hair was light gray and it fell just above her shoulders. She kept her bangs in place with a pink pin that she clipped on the right side of her hair. "After all, _art is whatever is fun_."

The pink-haired idol only looked away, uninterested. "Seems like you're fond of this period."

"_I am_…" she replied. "I'm planning to study visual arts in Europe someday."

Natsu let out another uninterested 'hm'. "Good for you. I'm not really fond of visual arts, though."

"Natsu-san, you shouldn't say that. What would your fans think?" she said, still smiling.

"_You're a fan_?!" he exclaimed loudly and the whole class, plus the teacher, stared at him; Gajeel and Gray glared disapprovingly. "I mean… _S-Sorry_…"

The girl beside him chuckled. "I'm not really much of a fan. I've listened to your songs and I've been able to watch your live performances on TV occasionally. Anyway, you three are famous enough to know."

"C-Cool…" Natsu said shyly.

"But Natsu-san, you're awfully silent and behaved. On TV, you're really energetic and outgoing… Why is that?"

"No particular reason…" he replied. He still didn't look at the girl properly and always replied half-heartedly.

"So, I'd like you guys to pair up and try to draw your partner. Don't worry, I'm just assessing your skills. This won't affect your grades," the teacher said. Immediately, all of the girls' eyes shot to the back of the class, where the idols were.

Gray and Gajeel, being closest in proximity to each other, unwillingly paired up. Natsu, on the other hand, was having trouble so he grabbed the hand of the sliver-haired girl beside him and raised it. "I'm pairing up with… um… with…?"

"Lisanna… Lisanna Strauss…" she smiled, despite the angry glares of the girls at her.

"Y-Yes, well, anyway…" Reedus said, sweat-dropping. "You may proceed."

"Sorry about that…" Natsu apologized.

"It's okay… At least I won't have to bother looking for a partner…" she assured.

"Y-Yeah…" the Salamander replied, somewhat sheepishly.

Art class dragged on until three in the afternoon. Before they knew it, it was over and the school bell rang.

* * *

Gray wanted to go to the music room early. He wanted to practice without anyone hearing or getting in his way. It was a perfect time since practice wasn't until five and it was still 3:15 in the afternoon.

Having convinced Gajeel and Natsu to go somewhere else before five, Gray silently and stealthily tiptoed inside the music room. He would have smiled, too, if not for a girl sitting underneath the piano, her back turned on him. She had had earphones plugged in her small ears, volume maxed out and looking at something on her tablet PC.

Curious, Gray even more carefully approached the girl and leaned over to look at what she was so seriously watching on the device. Surprisingly, she was researching all about their band.

"You a fan yet?" Gray said, plugging out one of the earphones disrespectfully. He put it in his ear and sat beside her.

"_Hey_! I was listening to that!" Lucy complained. "Seriously, what is with your _attitude_?!"

"You know, you're not very nice, are you?" Gray said. He listened and realized that Lucy was listening to their single. "But I forgive you since you're listening to our song."

"Anyway, what are you doing here, Grant?"

"It's Gray…" he corrected. Whether or not it was in purpose, for someone to forget his lovely name was an insult. "I just wanted to be early… No particular reason," he lied.

"Hmm…" said Lucy, not seeming to listen. "You guys are called '_Fairy Tail_'? Like dog's tail?"

"You didn't know?!" Obviously, Gray was surprised.

"No… I thought you guys were called Fairytale… F-a-i-r-y-t-a-l-e…"

"You're from the country, aren't you?" said Gray, looking at her in disbelief and discouragement. "I pity you."

"No, I'm not. I just don't have television," she said. She was now scrolling down on their video taken during their live three days ago. "_Oh_, your voice quivered at the end."

"You can tell?"

"_Duh_!" she said. "Everybody _would_. Really, are you that conceited?"

"If you're just going to insult me, I'd rather leave."

"_Sorry_…" she said and turned off her tablet. "I'm just blunt. I can't help it."

"Whatever… You _are _going to train me anyway… I'd be better in no time…"

"_So this is why you were so eager on getting rid of us_!" yelled Natsu, banging the sliding door open. He was followed by Gajeel, who carefully closed it, checking for any damage. "Gray, you sly dog, you!"

"Shut up, _Pink_," said Gray. Pink was his pet name for Natsu because of his odd choice in hair color. It used to be tangerine but all of a sudden, Natsu wanted it pink. "We were just talking and I barely know this girl."

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia. Nice to meet you." Lucy bowed low and greeted them.

"I'm Natsu and that grumpy one is Gajeel," the Salamander introduced.

"I thought you guys were at a noodle house…" complained Gray, sitting in one of the chairs. _Goodbye, my precious practice time_.

"Somebody ordered an extra-happy Natsu," said Gajeel. "Couldn't control him so I brought him here. _Did we disturb anything_?" His voice was mocking Gray.

"Shaddup, okay? It's not what you think." Gray looked at Natsu. "Yo, Pink, what's got you so intense?"

"Nothing…" he smiled smugly, sitting down in front of the piano and playing a happy tune. "Just found out that _art could be my thing_."

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Somehow, I can find time in between my classes and practice (_yes, I'm a choir member. How else would I know things about music and stuff?_) to update my fanfics. Thanks for those who are reading, you know who you are~! 3

**Shuriken kaatsu, Scooterx14, FairyTailWolf6, ChuChu43 and Miyu-chin**: Thanks for favoriting/following!

**Free-Bird 36, LoveIsARose and WolfieANNE: **Thank you for your reviews!

**PS**, make sure to check the _expiry date _before eating anything; like Natsu! Take care, minna~! 3

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _3


	6. Chapter 5

**THE STORY SO FAR: **Fairy Tail, the newest boy band, had personality and professional issues. In order to properly solve this, the trio were sent to high school in order to learn a thing or two to be worthy of the title '_idol_'. Slowly but surely, there problems are being uncovered one by one—and first of is Natsu, the resident prankster and troublemaker of the gang!

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER FIVE-**_  
__Where the Salamander smiles…_

_That's right. I don't really know why I do these things to people. I forgot when it all started._

_I didn't really have real friends. The kids in our neighborhood didn't know how to mingle with me. They would have a hard time inviting me to play just because I was from the higher class of society. They would always tell me, though, how lucky I am to be born with a silver spoon in my mouth._

_My father managed the country's leading pharmaceutical company. He had practically thousands working under him. My mother was an internationally-renowned lawyer and handled difficult cases from all over the world. They both earned more than we could spend in a lifetime. The money in their accounts increases by the second. But in contrast to that, the time they had for me was almost zero. Looking back now, I don't really remember if we've spent quality time as a family together. It's always 'business trip' this and 'court trials' that. They're always busy. I don't even recall us celebrating a Christmas or birthday together. If we did, I was probably too young to remember. For shame._

_There was on time, though, when they hurried back home to me; it was that time when I was seven and I had pushed a kid down the monkey bars. For the first time, dad went home from some far away country and mom cancelled a case; both of them went back home to scold me. It was a long and dreadful talk for a seven-year-old, but I was happy that we were at least able to do something that a family does._

_It was then when I suddenly got thinking; if they won't appreciate me because of the good I've done, they would definitely notice me for the trouble I've caused. I had always made that a principle when interacting with others._

_Maybe that's the reason all along why I prank on people? Maybe._

"Natsu-kun...?"

_But I wonder why some people misunderstand my attempt to interact as bullying? Are they too stupid not to notice? I can't even tell them the truth because they'd think I wasn't serious._

"Oi, Natsu," whispered Gray to Natsu's ears.

The blinding light flashed and Natsu was dragged on to the real world. The smile he had on his face was starting to wear off and the sound of the fans cheering startled him, making his mind one with his body again.

Natsu feigned a laugh. "_Gotcha_! You fell for my prank!"

The female host giggled and patted Natsu on the back. "_Goodness_, I almost thought you were petrified! You're one good pranker."

"Years of practice," he said.

"But why, I ask again, do you like pranking?"

"Because it's fun!" he lied. _If I said the truth, the fans wouldn't understand. Well, I'm an idol after all._

_A sad and lonely clown. _

* * *

"Good afternoon, Lucy-chan!" greeted a newcomer behind the blond. She turned and saw her childhood friend, Lisanna Strauss, standing in front of the lockers.

"Good afternoon, Lisanna..." she greeted back. Once she had worn her shoes again, Lucy closed her locker door and waved at her friend properly. "Going home already?"

"Yeah... The school is too lively to paint in," Lisanna noticed, preparing to open her locker and take out her shoes. "What's happening?"

"_Fairy Tail_... Students are flocking in class 2-A," explained Lucy. "They've been like that since the school bell rang."

"I see..." said Lisanna. She looked at her locker door and noticed that a piece of paper was sticking out from inside. "What's this?"

"Oh, let me see! Let me see!" said Lucy and she pushed her friend aside gently. "It's probably a _love letter_!"

Lisanna blushed at the remark. "Th-That can't be it, can it?"

Lucy excitedly opened the locker door to look at the 'love letter' but was instead greeted by an apple pie that came flying to her face with a soft splat.

"_Eeek_! Lucy-chan! Are you okay?!" Lisanna immediately approached her friend and wiped her face with her handkerchief.

"I'm okay, somehow..." said Lucy, licking her lips and tasting the sweetness of the apple filling, "But really, this is one childish prank..."

"I wonder who—?" the pink piece of paper once again caught her eyes and she picked it up. It turns out that it was a cutout of a pink lizard with dark eyes, sticking its V-shaped tongue while frowning at Lisanna. "What is this...?"

"That looks like a... lizard of some sort... But why is it _pink_?" said Lucy, with the same confused tone as Lisanna. She took it to examine it more closely. The slanted eyes and the pink-ness of the lizard looked very familiar.

"Anyway, Lucy-chan, you should clean-up before choir practice starts."

"Ah! _That's right_!"

Lisanna and Lucy walked toward the showers, which was at the back of the school near the field. They had almost forgotten about the whole pie prank when all of a sudden, a blue cat wearing a green scarf around his neck appeared in front of them. Of course, the fact that it was blue was strange itself. But what surprised them more was that the cat stood on two feet, like a human.

"_It's a cat_!" the two chorused, but with different intonation. Lisanna exclaimed gleefully, admiring the blue fur and the cute eyes of the cat. Lucy was more surprised—bewildered, even at the sight of the strange cat.

"_Me-ow_~!" it said in greeting, raising a paw. Lucy could not believe it and actually let out a frightened scream.

All of a sudden, as if the cat grew wings, feathers spread all over the place and somehow landed on the girls. Lisanna was lucky enough that the feathers immediately came off. Unfortunately for Lucy, the apple fillings all over her were more than enough to make the fine feathers stick to her.

"_You shitty cat_—!" screamed Lucy out of embarrassment and went to strangle the happy cat. However, the cat escaped into thin air-and it looked as if it was flying. Meanwhile, Lucy dropped to her knees and felt defeated after being bullied. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "I look like a chicken!"

"N-Now, now," Lisanna comforted, "No use crying over what's in the past... Let's just get you to the showers to clean up, okay?"

"Okay but... Can I use the showers in the fourth floor? I'm a bit embarrassed to go out looking like this," exclaimed Lucy, who indeed looked like a purple hen with white fur. Lisanna obliged and the two made their way safely to the fourth floor shower rooms.

"Say, Lucy-chan," started Lisanna, talking loudly enough for Lucy to hear from inside the showers, "Doesn't this lizard look awfully familiar?"

"Yeah, I've felt like I've seen it somewhere before..." Lucy replied. _Ugh! The filling on the pie's stuck on my hair pretty good. I'll just wash my hair again when I get home._ "Do any of the classes have lizards for pets?"

"No, I don't think so..." she heard Lisanna say. There was inquiry in her voice, the kind that was really curious and even determined to discover something. "_Wait_—!"

"What? Do you remember anything?"

"_I do_!" exclaimed Lisanna happily. "Lucy-chan, I'll go first, okay? Got to go somewhere!"

"Wait, don't leave me here!" Lucy pleaded. She immediately turned off the showers, even though her hair still had feathers and syrup on it, and went off to dry herself and change. However, when she went out, Lisanna was no longer there. Instead, she was standing face-to-face with a raven-haired teen, one eyebrow raised at her in disbelief.

Neither Lucy nor Gray knew what to say; Lucy was surprised to see anyone there and to think that it was Gray was just unexpected. Gray, on the other hand, was wondering whether or not it was a trend nowadays to stick fine feathers on your hair.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he asked, looking intensely at her hair in disgust. He really could not stand the sight of disorder. He suddenly wanted to pluck out all of the feathers on her head if he wasn't trying to respect her personal space.

"I was... _But before that._.. Have you seen a girl with short gray hair pass by here?" she asked, a bit disturbed that her companion was staring at her feather-filled head. Finally, he held out a hand a started to pluck the feathers.

"I have... She was hurrying down the stairs for some reason..." he said, immersed in the plucking he was doing, "Hey, that girl was an art classmate."

_I wasn't asking for that_, she thought._ He seems to be really preoccupied in plucking my feathers_. It both annoyed and flustered her that he was doing that on her head. She, then, out of impulse, slapped his hand away. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, can't help it... Hey, what's—?" Gray pulled out a piece of cloth stuck hard on her hair, plucking a few golden strands with it.

"Ow—Hey!" she complained.

"_What the_...?" Gray said, looking at the piece of cloth. It had the same image of lizard as the cutouts.

"_How'd that get in my hair_?" the girl asked. "That thing sure is annoying. I've been seeing this since this afternoon."

"This is Natsu's salamander..." Gray explained. "He's been making these for as long as I've known him. Since it's pink and frowning, it's definitely Natsu's."

_Salamander? I thought that was a lizard_. "So you mean to say he's been the one throwing pies and sending flying cats at Lisanna and me all afternoon?"

"_He's been doing that_?!" the raven-hair seemed to be really surprised. "I told him not to! That rebellious little—!"

The blonde stomped her feet in frustration. _If I get my hands on that pink-haired troublemaker, I swear I'll_—!

She stormed off to the stairs with a thirst for bloodshed. And that blood was of _Natsu_.

"Hey, where are you going?" Gray asked and followed after her.

"I'm off to _discipline_ your friend."

"Hey, don't be so rash! He was just playing a harmless prank on you—"

"Oh, right... So harmless when you get hit by pies on a metal tray!" she screamed sarcastically. Somehow, they had managed to descend a flight of stairs away from the second floor. She was about to turn around the corner when she heard Lisanna's voice in the empty hallway.

"_Natsu-san_...!"

_Lisanna_? she thought. She stopped and Gray, behind her, also came to a halt. The sound of the sliding door being opened could be heard, the followed by light footsteps fading in the background.

"Y-You..." said a familiar voice, that of Natsu's, "You're here!"

"You've been causing a lot of trouble to me and my friend..." she suddenly said, in a nice and calm tone. There was no reply that came from Natsu and so the two silently listened from outside the room to hear better.

"This is _eavesdropping_..." Gray said, as if it was a crime.

"_Sssh_!" hissed Lucy. She put a finger in front of her lips to emphasize her point.

"You know, if you wanted to be friends with us, you could have just said so..." Lisanna spoke again and the eavesdropping pair felt tension build up inside.

"Hm... How can you say that suddenly?" Natsu finally replied. "I was just playing pranks... Nothing like that in mind at all..."

"You're actually the kind of person who likes to be recognized, aren't you?" Lisanna said in a calm tone. Peeking, Lucy could see Lisanna smiling at Natsu, while the other looked surprised, as if Lisanna's words hit a bull's eye. "And you don't think that you'll be noticed or remembered if you do good things. So you become playful and troublesome so people will notice you."

"You seem really confident about that statement," Natsu said in a tense voice.

"Because I used to be the same..." Lisanna said.

_It's true_, Lucy thought. Lisanna had actually locked Lucy up in a bathroom and that was the reason they first met.

"Anyway, Lucy-chan is a bit angry right now so make sure you say sorry to her, okay?"

"No way! That's tiring... She's probably gonna want to kill me if I show up, anyway so what's the point?" said Natsu. Lisanna sighed.

"You're stubborn... Anyway, I'd be happy to be friends with you..."

"W-Whatever…" Natsu sheepishly said. He stood up and started to walk away, but stopped when he heard the girl speaking.

"You don't always need to trouble those who you want to befriend," Lisanna explained. "Oftentimes, you need to be gentle and patient so that they learn to appreciate you and your company...

"And you don't have to act cool or fun when you're with _real _friends. You should be yourself."

"I—" said Natsu after a while of silence.

"Anyway, I'm very pleased to formally meet you, Natsu…" she said in farewell.

Natsu stomped out of the room and into the staircase, facing Lucy and Gray who looked at him with faces that held back laughter.

"What?" he said, cheeks blushing. "_What_?!"

"Nice to meet you again, Natsu-senpai. I was mad but not anymore. Sorry for misunderstanding but I hope we can be really good friends..." Lucy said, bowing low.

"You're weird!" said Natsu as he stormed off, going down the stairs.

"He called _me_ weird…" said the blond, sweat-dropping. Lisanna walked into the two of them with same gentle smile as she's always had. "Well, _you're _happy…"

"He's… going to change, isn't he?" Lisanna said triumphantly at the two, knowing that she had somehow taught Natsu something that he, hopefully, would apply in the future.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Lucy-chan..." Lisanna greeted when taking off her school slippers. "Off to practice again?"

"Yeah, I am," the girl replied. "You? Going home?"

Lisanna nodded and was about to open her locker when she saw that something pink was sticking out of it. "Oh...? Another one?"

"Don't!" Lucy exclaimed and stopped Lisanna from opening the locker. "You _can't_ be too careful!"

Lisanna sweat-dropped and made way for Lucy top open her locker. Very carefully, the blond flicked it open, expecting to see something fly out of it, like it did the day before. Seeing none, she put two thumbs up and Lisanna proceeded to take the piece of cutout that had somehow made its way there.

Lisanna smiled when she looked at the cutout. It was the same mascot, a pink salamander with slanted eyes.

In contrast, however, with the other Salamanders they've got, this one didn't come with pranks. It was neither troublesome nor dangerous.

It was playful. It was sincere. It was _smiling_.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Just had a successful concert with my choirmates and wow! It feels good to receive positive comments! Although I'm not good yet, I'll work hard! YOSH!

**PS: **I'm so glad that people are reading! I really love you guys!

**Lunagorn, Red Kisses And Dark Secrets, gralu4ever, weirdcat, phantomhive19, Grayluisawesome, **: Thanks for favoriting/following!

**erza (guest), BEBEsASA (Guest), LoveIsARose, gralu4ever, phantomhive19 and WolfieANNE****: **Your reviews are very sweet… I had fun reading them as much as I enjoy reading fanfiction… Please continue your love! I love you! 3

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _3


	7. Chapter 6

**THE STORY SO FAR: **With Natsu's playfulness put in place (thanks to Lisanna), Fairy Tail is sailing in smooth waters—for now. Because the three were sent to high school for a reason, they are expected to be able to do something about these problems. Natsu is done. Is Gajeel next?

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **It's been a while. I haven't been able to update because a) I was cooped up with school work and b) I was procrastinating. Mostly because of "b".

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER SIX-**_  
__Where Gajeel is put into the spotlight…_

Thursday, six-thirty PM. Practice was over. Members were going home one by one, leaving behind a petite blue-haired girl and her blonde companion who were locking up.

"Lucy-chan, here," said Levy and handed her friend a small card. It had pink and green designs and in large silver letters the words _'Levy McGarden 18'_ were written.

Lucy happily accepted the invitation. "Thanks but the date printed here is wrong. Isn't your birthday next week? It says this Saturday."

"Yeah... Next week's celebration will be for my dad's business partners, my mom's colleagues and our relatives," Levy explained with a sheepish smile. She and Lucy walked out of the room and she locked it. "I don't want you guys to be uncomfortable with such a formal event."

The blond elbowed her friend lovingly. "You just don't want us to see you dancing in a ball gown."

Then she hugged her friend affectionately as they walked. Somehow, though, Lucy could sympathize with her. Levy's father managed a restaurant chain with stores all around the globe. Her mother, on the other hand, was a famous pianist and travelled to attend music festivals in different countries. In short, Mr. nd Mrs. McGarden and their only child, Levy, lived almost separate lives. Only during birthdays and other special events do they spend real quality time together.

"So you nagged them to have a separate celebration for your friends?" Lucy asked.

"_No_," Levy smiled, "It was my mother's idea. She knows the feeling of being out of place in a formal event so she organized a party for us."

"Your mother is just so kind," she said. They walked down the stairs to the first floor. "Everyone in the choir is invited?"

"W-Well, _almost_ everyone." Lucy noticed that a pink blush dusted across Levy's porcelain cheeks.

At first Lucy was puzzled. _Who couldn't Levy invite_? She started to count off one by one. Then, it dawned on her. "_The three musketeers_!"

"Y-You say that as if it were a bad thing..." Levy sweat-dropped. "I just didn't have the t-timing to ask them."

They had gone down to the first floor all the way to the front grounds where Levy's driver would pick her up.

"So you weren't able to corner them?" Lucy said, a scheme on her mind.

"_Y-Yeah_..."

Lucy pointed ahead of them to a teenager with long, shaggy, black hair with piercings lining on the bridge of his nose. "There's one of them right there. Go on and ask _him_."

"_Ga-Gajeel-san_?!" Levy said and turned bright red, staring in disbelief at her friend. "_I can't_—! _You don't seriously think_—! _Are you_—?!"

"_Relax_, Levy..." Lucy said, trying to pacify her friend who was absolutely freaking out for some reason. "I wouldn't even dare walk up to Gajeel-san. He's always emitting the kind of aura that says '_back off or I'll kill you_'." _Come to think of it, I even wonder how he gains fans like that_.

"_You shouldn't say that, Lucy-chan_!" Levy said somewhat loudly, but sweetly at the same time, "You don't know what his motivations are so you can't be too sure."

"Levy, you _do_ know that you're talking like a _fangirl_ in defense of her favorite star, don't you?"

"_I am_?!" Levy placed both hands on her cheeks and sheepishly wailed. "_I was_?!"

"Oh? Levy? Lucy? _Heeeey_!" The two girls looked ahead and a pink-haired singer was waving wildly at them, his two brunette companions looking at them, too.

"Natsu! _Oooi_!" Lucy also waved at him, smiling.

"What are you two still doing here?" the Salamander asked.

"We just locked the music room up. Now, we'll wait for Levy's driver to pick her up before I go home myself," Lucy explained.

"Oh? Were you always this kind, senpai?" Gray suddenly commented, picking a card from the ground. "Am I the only one not receiving the kindness?"

"Yes. _Apparently_, you are," the blonde said bluntly.

"What's that?" said Natsu, looking over at the card Gray was holding. "Oh! Levy McGarden's 18th?"

"_Eeeek_!" yelped Levy and she flushed. "How did—?"

"Ah! It must have fallen from my bag..." Lucy said and took the invitation from Gray's hands. "You see, Levy's birthday is going to be celebrated early for us."

"How come _we're_ not invited?" Natsu said sulkily.

"You mean you aren't b-busy?" There was a hint of joy and rejoicing in Levy's voice—Lucy smiled to herself.

"This Saturday...? Hm... I have to guest in a radio broadcast so I could probably catch up after 6PM." Natsu said and he gladly accepted an invitation card from Levy. "Thanks."

Levy looked at Gray. "Gray-sama?"

"Drop the _-sama_, please. You sound like a fangirl. Just call me Gray..." he, too, took a card coolly. "I'd be a bit late because I'll be doing an interview with a German magazine by 5PM on Saturday. I'll catch up with Natsu."

"Wow... You're pretty nice to her, aren't you?" Lucy said, poison in her voice. "You're always so uptight and sarcastic to me, how come that you're like a prince to her? Huh, _senpai_?"

"Are you jealous, _senpai_?" Gray smirked, eyebrows shotting up and down.

"I wonder how they both could be _'senpai'_..." the pink-haired Salamander sweat-dropped as he turned to Levy, who was looking at Gajeel with hopeful eyes.

"What are _you_ looking at?" Gajeel finally said, making Levy jump. "You've been staring like a kid does when she sees _cotton candy_."

"I—I'm sorry, I was rude..." The girl's ears were painted pink.

"Oi, Gajeel... _You_ were the one being rude..." Natsu snapped.

"It's o-okay, Natsu-san..." Levy assured. She turned and shyly handed Gajeel the same card. "W-Will you come to my party, Gajeel-san?"

Gajeel stared indifferently at the card in Levy's hands.

"Just take it, Gajeel," Gray said sternly, almost authoritatively. "Show some respect. We don't get to be invited to such gatherings."

Gajeel only clicked his tongue and half-heartedly took the card, "_Fine_."

"Thank you so much..." Levy said humbly, "I am _very_ honored. Never in my wildest dreams have I dreamt that Fairy Tail would come to my debut."

Natsu patted her head in a very friendly way. "You're welcome..."

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask," Lucy said, "What are you guys still doing here?"

"We're waiting for our van to come and pick us up," Gray answered.

"Oh, then I guess we'll have to wait here together..." Levy chuckled as she tried to sound calm and composed, but the four knew she was actually very nervous.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

A bright yellow light coming from two round orbs came closer toward them from the left. The six of them watched as it approached them, until a white van stopped and parked at their front. As soon as it did, the window was rolled down and a beautiful scarlet-haired maiden appeared in front of them.

"Get in, boys, the studio is waiting..." she said.

"We'll see you tomorrow, then!" greeted Natsu as he opened the door and hopped in. He was followed by Gray and Gajeel.

"Goodbye! Thank you again!" said Levy and bowed politely.

"Oh... Are you friends of these boys?" the woman said. "My name is Erza Scarlet. I'm their talent manager."

"Nice to meet you, Erza-sama!" Levy replied. "My name is Levy McGarden and this is Lucy Heartfilia."

"Well, I'd really love to stay and chat but we're late for something..." she said.

"Oh, that's okay. Please, be on your way..." Lucy said and bowed.

The window was rolled back up, the engine was revved and soon, the van drove far away.

* * *

The powder room was always very busy before an actual shoot. Make-up artists walk in all directions, yelling something like 'foundation' or 'concealer'. The Fairy Tail members were patiently sitting down in front of the huge drawers in the humid room. Each of them had one make-up artist and one hair stylist.

"Fifteen minutes to go time!" screamed on woman from outside the room.

The already-busy people moved twice as fast and became twice as stressed as they did their jobs.

"_The fu_—!"

The people stopped and to look at the far right where Gajeel was, in front of him was a horror-stricken girl holding a compact powder. She had a look on her face that was of a prisoner about to be sentenced to death. On the other hand, Gajeel's face had too much powder on it and he looked extremely pale.

"_S-Sorry, Gajeel-san_. I'll just do it a-again."

The angry Gajeel furiously sat down and wiped his face. "Do your _freakin'_ job right, woman! They're not paying you to mess up your job!"

"Gajeel, _calm down_." Gray was the first to finish. He stood up, thanked the hair stylist and make-up artist and wore his black overcoat. "It's not even noticeable."

"Whatever!" he snapped. "_Freakin_' do it again!"

"_Y-Yes_!"

Gray shook his head disapprovingly and sighed as he went out the door.

"_Gray_..." said a voice.

The boy turned and bowed when he saw that the owner of the voice was Makarov Dreyar, his grandson Laxus, walking beside him.

"Master! I haven't seen you in a week!" Gray exclaimed happily.

"I was busy making arrangements for you and the band," Makarov explained. "If _we're_ lucky, you might be able to perform abroad soon."

"That's amazing..." Gray commented half-heartedly. He wasn't really excited but to go abroad was an extraordinary feat for new bands.

"You don't sound too amazed to me..."

"Err... That's—"

"Anyway… _How's school_?" The old man purposely cut him off.

"Good... The _'training'_ is going well, too," Gray explained.

"I heard Natsu hasn't been causing trouble in a while..." Laxus said.

"Yeah... Some girl from art class knocked some sense into him."

Laxus laughed mockingly. "_Remind me_ to tease him about it."

"But Gajeel is still as ill-tempered and rude as usual."

Makarov cleared his throat and scratched his nape, then looked up at Gray. "_And you_?"

"I'm doing my best to improve my singing..."

"_What_?"

"Isn't that why you had me enrolled? Because of my incapability to sing the last note in our debut song?" Gray asked in confusion.

"Well, that was a _minor_ reason..." Makarov answered.

"Then... Why _did_ you send me to high school?"

Makarov only stared at the brunette and made no answer to the question for a while.

"Master—?"

"I just thought you might meet up with a girl and get yourself a girlfriend." The old man laughed as he patted Gray on the head. "Well, go on! Tell them to hurry..."

"Y-Yes, sir..."

The boy walked away and entered the powder room again.

"Na, Jiji..." Laxus said after a while.

"Hm?"

"Why didn't you tell him that core problem of his?"

"_Spare the rod, spoil the child_," he said, "Besides you don't really think Gray's pride would let me tell him what he needs to work on? He'll never let anyone tell him his weakness; he'll _never_ recover!"

"I agree," Laxus said, "Anyone who can _outrightly_ tell him his wrongs is probably a god."

Somewhere, Lucy sneezed.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **We're having another concert after only two weeks! It's this Saturday… I guess I'm stressed about that aside from the usual school work. Let's work together~!

**pandabunnylucy, NeiroChi, WolfieANNE, XxBlue and CrimsonxX, momo287, TheVictoryAngelofStrife, caligirl185, Theoneandonly22, yorunasu, FoxBlood**: Thanks for favoriting/following!

**WolfieANNE and LoveIsARose****: **Thank you for reviewing… And I'm sorry if I wasn't replying… :D

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _3


	8. Chapter 7

**THE STORY SO FAR: **Levy invited Fairy Tail to her advanced 18th birthday celebration. Gray agreed and Natsu did so very enthusiastically. However, the one she was most eager to invite, Gajeel, was a bit keen on not wanting to go. Gray, however, forces him and he agrees after realizing that it just might be fun. Will this teenage trouble ruin Levy's birthday? Or will he not?

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **So the concert was GREAT! YEAH~! I'm glad… I should've posted this before we left but I didn't have the time… sorry!

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER SEVEN-**_  
__Where storms are helpful…in their own way…_

It was Saturday morning and the Fairy Tail members had no schedule yet. Two of them were in the wide living room of their dormitory; Gajeel was playing on his Nintendo Wii and was getting mad because the _'freakin' game'_ was faulty. On the other hand, Gray was sitting in front of the keyboard at the corner of the room, leaning on the swivel chair with a pencil on his mouth, paper on his right hand while his left was playing keys and chords.

Natsu walked in on them, smiling smugly to himself while his phone was safely clutched on his hand.

"Hey, Gray. Watcha doin'?" he asked, sitting comfortably on the couch behind Gray.

"Writing a new song," he answered monotonously. He didn't even bother to look at Natsu, but was completely immersed in his brainstorming.

"What is it about?"

"It's pretty gloomy these past few days because of impending storms..." Gray explained, "So I thought about writing a comforting song for the fans. I'll post it on my YouTube account later."

"Can I see?" Natsu said, standing up excitedly.

"No! Stay where you are, _mongrel_!" Gray commanded. "I don't need your help!"

"You're no fun... And you look as if you're really having a hard time, too..." Natsu said.

"I said, I don't need your help," Gray snapped back, annoyed. He really didn't enjoy it when people bothered him when he was busy or concentrating. And Natsu was doing just that. "I'll figure it out on my own..."

"Hey, Natsu, what's the matter with you?" Gajeel asked, finally giving up on his game after losing for the seventh time in a row. "Your hair is… pinker."

"_Shaddup_..." he flushed, "My mom called for the first time in a few months so of course I'll be happy."

"_Oh_?" Gray said and turned around and smiled at Natsu, "Good for you!"

"What about you, Gray? Did your mom call?" Natsu asked back.

"Ul's not my mom... Just... my _adoptive_ mom..." he said. He turned back to his writing again. "She called two nights ago after the live we had. She watched it on TV."

"What's the big deal with parents calling?" Gajeel expressed. He lay his back on the floor, staring at the ceiling, "I, for one, don't think it means much."

"That's because your dad doesn't call you and you're just very bitter," Natsu said bluntly. This earned him a smack to the back of the head from Gajeel, which made him reciprocate with and elbow to the brunette's side. "I mean, who in their right mind would say _'Why the heck did you call this time?'_?"

"Gajeel," Gray snickered as he answered the question.

The long-haired brunette pouted out of annoyance as he went back to his game. "Well, sorry, I'm not the loving son-type."

"Oh, right. Gray," Natsu started, remembering something suddenly. "Did Levy say anything about the dress code for the party?"

"Come to think of it, no. She didn't," Gray said.

"Are you guys _seriously_ showing?" Gajeel said. "I was planning on ditching."

"Gajeel, just show up out of respect," Gray reprimanded. "It's bad for our image if you keep up with that rude attitude. And Levy seemed to look forward to us, too."

"Levy? Ah, _that's right_!" Natsu exclaimed and turned to his phone, dialling a number. "I'll just ask _Lucy_..."

"_You have her number?!_" Gray exclaimed and turned around all of a sudden_. She didn't exchange numbers with me after we've spent so much time together. Why him?_

"Yeah... She gave it to me days ago after the prank streak..." Natsu said, "Ah, Lucy? Hello!"

"Whatever... Why should I care?" Gray said to himself, "Anyway, Gajeel. Make sure you go, okay? It's the least you could do to such a kind girl."

"Whatever..." he replied, uninterested.

"Thanks, Lucy... Yeah... I'll see you later... Greet her for me, 'kay? Bye..." Natsu turned to his bandmates, "It's summer attire. Prints and patterns should be good."

Gajeel smiled, a grin being written on his face. He was still not interested in going but he had nothing better to do, either. So maybe...

_Should I just have some fun at the party?_

He grinned again, chuckling to himself.

* * *

It was only five thirty but the sky was already very dark and the storm clouds gathered in clumps all over the sky. The once calm sea became unstable and the waves started to crash wildly on the rocks along the shore. Strong winds entered the open hall and so Lucy, along with some other guys, started to close the glass doors around it.

There were around fifty people in the hall, either greeting Levy or getting acquainted with each other. Because there really wasn't any program, the party was like a _have-it-the-way-you-want-it_ sort of event.

The blond approached Levy, the long, purple, flower-pattern dress she wore loosely following after her. The dress was long enough to cover her ankles and was tied around her neck. She wore a thin black belt around her abdomen and wooden slippers that tapped as she went.

"Levy, we've closed the hall and Jet and Droy will be turning the lights on in a while."

"Thanks, Lu-chan," Levy said, turning around. She wore an dirty white cocktail dress that had sparkles around the chest and the hemline. The off-shoulder straps fit the girl perfectly and her blue hair was pulled up into a loose bun.

"You're so pretty, Levy," Lucy commented. "Who did your make up?"

"_I-I did_..." she said sheepishly, "Do you think it's too much?"

"_What_?! Not at all!" the blond replied, "It's _your_ day. There's nothing wrong with doing a little extra something."

"Thank you... The guests seem to be having fun, right?" The blond nodded. "Have... Have _they_ come?"

"Who?" Lucy realized her friend was referring to Fairy Tail, "Oh... Well, it's still a bit early... Not yet..."

"I... I see—"

"Gajeel-san is here?!" asked one girl loudly, making the crowd of guests look toward the parking lot where a red sports car had just parked.

Soon after, the long-haired Fairy Tail member came out staggering a bit. After regaining his balance, he walked confidently like a model on the cat walk. He wore a sleeveless leather top with black fur on the sides. His tattered jeans and black leather shoes were stunningly flaunting his long legs and he slid the glass door open before approaching Levy and handing her a small velvet box.

"Thank you... For c-coming, Gajeel-san—"

The boy clicked his tongue and smirked, "You're _freakin'_ wearing makeup..."

"I... _I am_..." she flushed.

"You look ridiculous..." he said bluntly, making Levy jump in surprise, "It doesn't fit the whole event."

"Hey! Don't say that! _You're_ the one who looks _ridiculous_!" Lucy said, pointing to his clothes. Behind them, the other guests were staring and eavesdropping. The blond looked behind her and urged the guests to go on with the party. "Either way, you should've worn something that fit the theme."

"Hey, it's enough that I'm here, right?" he said. "Gray said he'd hurry up with the interview and right now, Natsu's doing the broadcast."

"Oh... Okay... Thank you..." Levy said, "Please, take a plate and eat..."

"Nope... I'm leaving..." he said.

"W-Why?" the blue-haired girl asked.

"I didn't want to come in the first place... Gray was the one who was so eager to have me go..." Gajeel watched intently as Levy started to look a bit uncomfortable. She was making it too easy for him… _too fun_.

"B-But you should at least eat... Please, enjoy yourself a bit..." Levy argued shyly.

"Do I look like I want to be here?" Gajeel smirked as he said these words softly, "I only wanted to see how a _flat-chested_ girl throws birthday parties. I was actually expecting something more adult-like but you're just a kid, after all—"

"_Gajeel-san, that's enough_!" Lucy hissed, trying to keep her voice down. The blond's friend trembled beside her as she tried to fight back large drops of tears.

The thunder crackled and lightning flashed. Lucy gave out a loud squeal of fear and jumped, grabbing Gajeel by the arm. The sliding door was opened and the wind gushed in. The people panicked and started to grope in the sudden darkness.

"_The hell are you clinging on to me for, you damn kid_?!" Gajeel exclaimed. He started to shrug Lucy's grip away but the blond clung tight.

"S-Sorry...!" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't like thunderstorms—_eeek_!" There was another crackle of thunder and Lucy's fingernails dug into the singer's bare muscle.

"_Hey_!" he yelped.

"_L-Levy_! Where's Levy?!" Lucy said, looking all over, trying to adjust to the light. Some smart guests started to grab the candles and light them up, temporarily giving the hall a dim orange illumination.

"_Lucy_!" A guy with orange hair and a tall hat approached the blond, a worried look on his face. "Levy suddenly ran out! Did something happen?"

"Jet... Well, see, _this_ guy... That's not the issue right now! Please calm the guests down while I search for Levy."

Lucy went out of the room, her legs trembling in fear as she dragged herself out of the hall.

Jet was left inside the hall, trying to pacify the panicking crowd while Gajeel busied himself with the buffet table.

The heavy rain started to pour down, accompanied by strong winds and thunder. Somehow, after a while, the lights turned back on and Jet managed to humor the crowd by turning on the stereo to max and playing disco music.

_The brat broke out surprisingly easy_, thought Gajeel, munching on his 20th rice cake.

All of a sudden, the door opened and people glanced at the newcomers, drenched in rain.

Gajeel turned to look at them, and Gray and Natsu, trying to shake off the water in their clothes, walked towards him, nodding at a few people.

"Where's Levy?" Natsu asked, wiping his face dry. His orange floral print shirt and hawaii shorts stuck to his body and he tried to squeeze them dry.

Gray wore a white sleeveless top under his blue button-up shirt. He, too, was wet and combed his bangs off of his forehead. "Did we miss something, by any chance?"

"Well, the flat-chested girl—"

"_Levy_," Natsu corrected Gajeel.

"Whatever... She ran off somewhere and the blond brat followed her," Gajeel explained. He raised a plate at them, "Want some?"

"_Please _don't tell me you said something..." the leader said sternly, "Tell me I'm wrong..."

"Well, _yes and no_..." the other brunette answered. "I was only being honest. Who knew she couldn't take honesty?"

"You're a rude dude," Natsu said, "You must've said some pretty nasty things."

"Well, a little honesty'd never kill anybody."

"It can hurt them, though..." Gray commented.

"Excuse me," said a stern voice, coming from Jet, "You're the leader, right?"

Gray turned and nodded. "Yes?"

"You see, your _friend_ here's caused Levy to storm out. I'd want to find her but I have to take care of these people," he explained. "Seeing as he's the cause of all of this, I'd really appreciate it if he took responsibility."

"You mean, like, _search for her_?" Gajeel complained.

"Out there?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"_In the storm_?!" Gray said.

Both Natsu and Gray leered at Gajeel who only scoffed as he led the way out. Why things turned out that way, he didn't know. But the only thing he _did _know was that he seriously regretted having gone there in the first place.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I have to go to bed early! I DUN WANNA! - _ -

**phoenixflamemarauder, ILoveCelestialIce, Loki Luvr 4ever, MangaFanReader, FallingStar93, umiechizen, Seri3991, jdcocoagirl, kaileenholic, ****mythologyfreakgirl, fairytaillover416, proud to be foreveralone**: Thanks for favoriting/following!

**ILoveCelestialIce, Lillian Jade, FallingStar93, jdcocoagirl, kaileenholic, proud to be foreveralone****: **Your reviews… it inspires me… Or it just makes me laugh… HAHAHA! 3

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _3


	9. Chapter 8

**THE STORY SO FAR: **It was raining cats and dogs. Levy ran out and Fairy Tail was in search for her. Gajeel doesn't like it. What does he find in the rain? And why was there a blonde girl under the piano?

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I must be a zombie… T_T Anyway, by the end of this chapter, you might ask me, 'What happened in the piano hall?' Don't worry, I'll answer that in the next chapter… Until then, _I SRSLY LOVE YOU GUYS… _3

**WARNING: **Prepare yourselves for curses… You know, Gajeel being Gajeel…

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER EIGHT-**_  
__Where you there are confessions, unexpected reactions and curses…_

_Gajeel, since you dragged us into this, search in the cottages. Natsu can search around the hall and I'll search near the entrance._

"_Fuck_."

Gajeel slowly passed one cottage after the other. Usually, he wouldn't regret anything he'd done or said. But seeing as he was wet and freezing, trying to find someone so small, she was almost unnoticeable, he actually wished he hadn't pushed her that far.

"_Fuck_." _Where would I go if I were a depressed blue-haired flat-chested girl who plays the piano fairly well_? Gajeel pouted and ransacked his brain for possible answers.

_Piano_? "Wait—!" _I think I saw an open piano hall near the entrance_, he thought. Somehow, the teen's hardened heart pounded excitedly—like he was about to discover buried treasure or something.

Maybe it was because of the heavy downpour but he ran as fast as he could to where he remembered the piano hall was. Because he was running so fast, Gajeel didn't even notice that he had already reached the place. And as if synchronized, the moment he stopped, lightning flashed and the thunder boomed.

"_Gyaaah_!" he heard a loud, high-pitched feminine voice scream. He stepped forward, but then saw that the owner of the voice was _s_ the blue-haired teen he was looking for but a blonde girl, soaking wet in her purple dress, crouching underneath the piano. She was keeping her legs close to her as possible, her hands covering her ears.

Out of nowhere, the piano started to play a familiar, calming tune and he looked up and saw his bandmate, Gray Fullbuster, playing it.

_So that's why the song sounded so familiar_, he thought. _It's the one Gray had been weaving together since that morning_. The brunette chuckled to himself, mentally noting to tease Gray later.

"Well, there's nothing to find here, after all," he said aloud. He turned around, jumping up in surprise when he saw a streak of blue in front of him.

"Gajeel-san—"

"_Fuck_!" he yelped. He looked behind him. Gray didn't seem to hear. _Good_.

He turned back to Levy, who was now drenched as himself, and her makeup ruining her pretty face as it dripped down. The mascara she'd put was now creating black tear-like marks on the side of her eyes and, funny as it was, Gajeel was mortified to find her in such a state.

"You scared the _crap_ out of me!" he said.

"D-Do you not like me... by any chance?" the girl asked him, looking at her feet.

"_What_? Look this _isn't_ the place... Everyone's looking for you and this is troublesome..." he stuttered in a split second.

"Do I _really_ look ridiculous to you?" Levy asked, real tears falling from her eyes.

"_What are you talking about_?"

"You said it yourself earlier... You said I looked ridiculous with makeup on... Was that true?"

"Well, that was—" he stammered, he had only said that to annoy her. He didn't think she would take it to heart and be really melodramatic about it. "I was just _k-kidding_...?"

"But why did you say it in such a rude tone?" she argued, not convinced. "_Am I ugly_?"

"_Look, kid_. We should really be getting dry now. Or we'll end up sick—!"

"_GajeelsanIlikeyou_!"

"... _What_?" he coughed. Was he hearing things or did this girl just confess to him?

"I... I w-want to know whether or n-not you think I'm ugly..." she said boldly.

"Are you freakin' _deaf_?" he said, pretending not to hear her previous statement. "I said I was kidding. I didn't mean it—"

"Why do you say things that you don't mean? And rude ones, at that," she asked. Levy was calmer now, and asked Gajeel out of pure curiosity. "Doesn't it make you _hated_?"

"..." The singer suddenly ran out of words and chose to drag Levy toward the hall.

"G-Gajeel-san...?"

"I freakin' have problems expressing myself, alright? _Sorry, I'm not the nice guy type_," he said, flushing in slight annoyance. He never even considered why, of all people, he told that to Levy. But since he could feel that somehow, it pacified the girl and at the same time, got rid of a burden he's been having on his chest for a while, he was a bit—a really tiny bit—glad.

"Ga-Gajeel-san...?"

"_What now_?" he snapped. It had really become a habit to talk rudely; and bad habits die hard.

"... I think that you're fine just the way you are..."

The boy stopped walking. He could hear his heart pound now; not because he felt something for Levy, but because anyone who'd be told those words would probably feel the same. He turned to face the girl, eyebrows meeting at the center.

"Look, I don't want you getting the wrong ideas. I don't feel anything for you so you don't need to say unnecessary things to me."

"B-But I was only t-telling the truth..." she said, "People are at their best when they're themselves. I think that you trying to be as true as possible despite being in showbiz is amazing.

"I've been your fan ever since you were still in that amateur band Phantom and when you debuted in Fairy Tail, I felt really proud of you like a _parent_."

Levy shyly shifter her eyes away, "I guess what I'm trying to say is... Geajeel-san, I really like—"

"_You're one heck of a stalker, aren't you_?" he smirked, "Not _everybody_ knows that I was a Phantom member."

Levy only smiled. Despite the rudeness in his voice, there was a gentleness in his eyes that she could somehow see. "Since you said that you have difficulty in being the good good guy, I'll take _that_ as a compliment."

Gajeel clicked his tongue, grabbed the girl's wrist and walked again. "You think you know all about me."

"I don't..." she said, smiling sheepishly to herself, "But I want to know _more_, though."

"_Levy_!" a group of people saw the blue of on the girl's head and recognized her immediately. They came running toward them, bringing towels and umbrellas.

Gajeel smirked as the people took Levy away from his grasp.

Usually, he would regret being drenched to the bones for an hour and getting robbed of his inner thoughts.

But seeing that he was able to find a _fucking confidant_ in the most unlikely of people and that he's at last saw something that was probably right in front of his face, he was actually glad to have said what he said.

"_Gajeel_!" Natsu said, coming and laughing at him. Gajeel's clothes practically stuck to his body like second skin, and although he was very muscular, he didn't like the fact that it was wet. "You okay?"

"Yeah... I am..." he said, holding the towel closer to his body. Then he put his right hand in his pocket and took out his phone, which was still functioning despite its drenched condition.

_I felt really proud of you like a parent._

He dialled a number on his phone and smiled to himself before the other line finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"_O-Old man_," Gajeel stammered, biting his lip out of nervousness, "It's _me_..."

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **MY EYESSSSS! THEY BURN! Anyway, was I right? Are you guys all, like, 'What happened in the piano hall?!'

If I'm not, then I guess I'm not much of a clairvoyant after all… :D

**PS: **I wonder why Gajeel never thought of using an umbrella? Hm...?

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _3


	10. Chapter 9

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I was saying something about storms, right? Guess what? It's storming here… they say it's some sort of Super Typhoon… Anyway, on with the story! _

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER NINE-**_  
__Where the piano scene is finally revealed!_

The storm was really strong that Gray's umbrella kept on getting caught up in the wind. However, since he didn't want to get any more wet, he had to deal with it somehow. He plugged in his earphones and chose a song from his WIP playlist. Since the song he was making that morning wasn't quite finished, he thought it was a good chance to do some brainstorming as he searched for Levy.

"_Fairy Tail's untitled song…_" he heard himself say through the earphones. A catchy, smooth melody played and he started to critique it for improvement.

_I see you sitting there_

_Trembling in the covers_

_Trying to keep yourself together_

_I see tears in your eyes_

_As you face this storm alone_

_Tryin' to make yourself seem stronger_

As the song played, the wind grew wilder and the rain got stronger and Gray tried to cuddle himself for some extra warmth. _Better find Levy soon so I can get myself dry_.

_As the rain falls on your window_

_As the strong wind blows outside_

_I don't want you to be scared_

_Not when I'm by your side_

_BOOM!_ The thunder clapped across the sky and Gray's umbrella finally gave in and was taken away.

"Crud!" he muttered, rain falling on his head and on his shoulders. He ran straight to find some sort of shelter. The music picked up tempo and it immediately opened to the chorus. So far, Gray liked how the song sounded.

_Take my hand, sing my song_

_Wanna tell you you're not alone_

_When fear knocks on your door_

_We'll be singing in the storm_

_Get out and into my arms_

_I'll hold you tight, you'll be alright_

_When things just seem so wrong_

_We'll be singing in the storm_

Cold and soaking wet, the brunette stumbled upon an open hall that had a grand piano at the center. To him, it spelled 'shelter' and so he ran toward it. Surprisingly, he wasn't the first person there as a girl wearing a purple dress and bandana was cuddling herself underneath the instrument. He couldn't see her face because her back was turned on him; but he could only guess who it was.

_Levy,_ he thought. He paused the song that was playing on his phone and immediately approached her. The closer he got, the more he could see that she, too, was wet and trembling due to the cold.

"Levy?" He crouched down the piano, too, and put a hand on the girl's shoulder, surprising her. She turned to look at him and Gray saw chocolate brown eyes, extremely fearful, filled with tears that rolled down her cheeks. "_L-Lucy_?"

"S-Senpai…" she said. Lucy immediately wiped her tears and cleared her throat. "What are you d-doing here?"

It took a while for Gray to speak; the scared look on Lucy's face really bothered him. He wanted to ask her. He wanted to reprimand her as to why she was staying there—but what right did he have? "I… was looking for Levy…"

"O-Oh… So she's not back yet…" Lucy's trembling hand tried to part with her body as she struggled to get up but she immediately drew it back when the lightning flashed and she let out a small '_eep_'.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Gray asked, his voice reprimanding. "And why are you alone?"

"I was also l-looking for Levy—" the blond put both hands on her ears, as if trying to block out every sound around her. "A-Anyway, I'll catch up with you later… Please l-leave…"

The brunette scrunched his forehead, a bit insulted. First, she didn't exchange numbers with him. Now, she was trying to get rid of him. He was _Gray Fullbuster_, after all. And she was ignoring—no, pushing him away!

"What're you—!"

Gray took Lucy's hand away from her ear out of anger. "Are you trying to piss me off? I'm worried about you here and you 're telling me to scram—!"

_BOOM_!

"_Gyaaah!_" Lucy yelped and stiffened. Her eyes widened and the tears flowed non-stop from it. Her lips quivered and she was trembling. Gray, as he watched, was also transfixed. _Lucy is scared of the thunderstorm_, he finally realized. A pang of guilt slowly crept into Gray's conscious and he bit his lip.

"H-Hey, you okay?" he asked, leaning in closer to her. He could feel her cold hands and her small, quick breaths as she trembled. "C'mon… Let's go to the main hall…"

"N-No…" she said, "I want t-to stay here…"

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"Please… Let me stay here…" she pleaded, holding herself and covering her ears again.

_Come to think of it, she spends a lot of time under the piano in the music room, too, _Gray thought. It could be that she found it comforting to be alone underneath the instrument but it didn't really seem to help. _What a stupid girl_.

Gray stood up and sat on the piano, playing the song he had composed earlier loudly.

"W-What… What are you doing, senpai?" she asked Even with her hands covering her ears, she could hear the piano playing.

"Shut up and think of this as a fan service," he said, "You shouldn't try to hide out here alone, you know…"

"… I've always been scared of thunderstorms…" Lucy hugged herself even tighter and covered her ears more. "They're loud and no matter what I do, I can hear the boom and see the flash—"

"_Then I'll play and sing louder so you won't hear it,_" Gray said loudly, a bit annoyed. _How could this girl be so weak_? It irritated him to think that she's not being loud and proud as she usually is.

Gray sang the song as loudly as he could. He knew he wasn't singing properly, as Lucy taught him, but he didn't care. If it was the only way for Lucy to hear him instead of the thunder, it'd make him feel great.

The brunette sang and sang; his fingers travelled across the piano. He had already finished singing the second chorus and started to play the bridge. _Come to think of it, I wasn't able to get this far with the song_, he thought. But somehow, his brain got working and his mouth uttered the rest of the song as if he had already thought of it beforehand.

_And if the storm is too loud_

_Don't be scared, just hold my hand_

_I'll sing for you loud as I can_

_Promise I'll keep you safe and sound_

Gray sang the chorus one more time, even louder this time and he even raised the key to half a step higher. He didn't mind that his neck and his throat hurt a bit and that his fingers throbbed because he had been hitting the piano like a hammer for a while. He looked down and saw that Lucy was calmer and he smiled proudly.

"As the rain falls on your window… As the strong wind blows outside… I don't want you to be scared…" Gray gradually ended the song, "… Not when I'm by your side…"

A weight was now growing on his knees and when the song finally ended, Gray looked down on Lucy. She had fallen asleep, her head leaning on the brunette's legs. Gray smiled as he took his earphones and put it in Lucy's ears, playing mellow songs.

He looked around and realized that it was only drizzling now and that stars somehow surfaced in the sky. He smiled and cleared his sore throat. It doesn't seem as if _he _could sing the song and post it on YouTube when he gets to the dorm. Maybe he'll let Natsu sing it this time.

_Yeah, he can sing it better than I, _he thought. He looked down at Lucy who was sleeping soundly. He smiled. _When she's not saying anything offensive, she's pretty cu—_

"_Crud!_" Gray jumped up. What the _heck _was he saying?!

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **As I'm writing this, I want you to know that the roof on the shed adjacent to my room is about to come flying off. The wind here is totally extreme! _This _is what I call a storm… _SCARY!_

**PS: **Again, the song is just one of my immediate poems… Funny how scary situations can actually inspire you to write! What do you think? R & R to let me know…

**MissAlphabetical, tayenatay, ShibuyaPsychicResearch: **Thank you for following/favoriting!

**FallingStar93, fairytaillover416, kaileenholic, Lillian Jade: ** 3 Thank you for your reviews!

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _3


	11. Chapter 10

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I have one word: **exams**.

**NOTE: **The song I used here is entitled, "Go the Distance" from _Hercules_ composed by Alan Menken and lyrics by David Zippel. It's a really good song and there's also a choral arrangement which I prefer because it brings tears to my eyes just listening to it. Hope you guys will listen to it, too. Keep smiling!

* * *

**-CHAPTER TEN-**_  
__Where the Gray swallows—hard…_

_I have often dreamed_

_Of a far-off place_

_Where a great, warm welcome_

_Will be waiting for me_

Monday afternoon, 4:10PM. Gray was an hour-ten minutes late for their private lessons and Lucy took the time to train herself for once. It would also be good if she didn't see him _just yet_—after that embarrassing night during Levy's party.

The blond blushed just at the thought of it. Why did someone have to see her in that shameful, vulnerable moment; and Gray Fullbuster, at that? She sighed.

_No use crying over spilt milk_, the blond mused, and sat back straight up underneath her favorite comfort place, the piano.

All of a sudden, the sliding door opened and she saw behind her, a man walking. _It must be him_, she hypothesized. She immediately got out from under the instrument and stood up to see him properly.

"Senpai—?" Lucy stopped when she saw that the man she had just greeted was not Gray, but their blue-haired drill master, staring at her in amusement. "_Jellal-senpai_?!"

"You look _disappointed_ to see me," he said and pat a note he had been carrying on her head, "And how many times have I told you to call me _'sensei'_?"

Lucy blushed and rubbed the part he hit, "But you're not my teacher and we're only a few years apart." She pouted. "And besides, that's how I've always called you that since we were _kids_."

Jellal smiled at this, "So, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, um... I was waiting for Gray Fullbuster," she answered. "You see, I've been personally _coaching_ him when you were away."

"Like, _voice_ coaching?" the girl nodded.

"I think he doesn't like to feel inferior so he agreed to have me, _a girl_, teach him."

"You think you're good enough to teach him all the basics?" he teased and smiled, his dimple showing. Lucy bit her lip.

"_Hey_! I'm trying my best, you know?"

"I heard..." he said, "You were singing the solo part in _'Go the Distance'_," he said, "You want to audition for the solo part for our show for the school festival?"

"I... I do..." she said sheepishly. "I do..."

Jellal smiled at his childhood friend. He had always known it was her dream to follow her mother's footsteps and become a broadway singer. _Layla-san, you should be proud of her, right?_ Jellal only ruffled her hair affectionately and smiled, "C'mon, then. I'll teach you."

_CLUNK_!

The two looked toward the direction of the door.

"_Yo_," the newcomer said.

* * *

Gray came rushing toward the music room. He was running late for his voice coaching because the management had suddenly called for an emergency meeting. Apparently, the new song he had composed with Natsu singing was a hit on YouTube and they decided it was a good springboard to launch a mini-album. Since he didn't have Lucy's number, he couldn't have told her and he didn't want to go and ask either Gajeel or Natsu for it.

_Come to think of it_, he mused, _how did Gajeel end up getting her number and I didn't_? The thought annoyed him for some reason.

Walking more slowly now in order to catch his breath, Gray peeked at the window to see if Lucy was still waiting for him—possibly under the grand piano where she loved to stay. The thought of seeing her so scared and so feminine was new to him and so he'd really love to tease her about it. He fought back a triumphant smile on his face.

Peeking through the window, he saw Lucy. In front of her was a man with hair in a peculiar shade of blue, ruffling her golden locks. Lucy looked as if she had seen an angel, her eyes widening a bit and her mouth gaping open slightly as a pink blush adorned her cheeks.

The raven-haired singer pouted. _Jellal_, he thought. He could never really bring himself to try and like him just yet; not after what he did.

He stormed into the music room, forcefully opening the sliding door and catching the two's attention. Both of them snapped their heads at him.

"Yo," he greeted, his droopy eyes very indifferent despite the smile he had put on his face. "Fancy seeing you here, _Jellal_."

"Well, I just came back from my friend's burial," Jellal explained, taking his place in front of the piano. "Well? Care to join us?"

"Join you what?"

"I'm going to coach Lucy for today."

Gray eyed the girl and she was smiling smugly at Jellal. He raised an eyebrow. "Lucy was supposed to be teaching _me_, though."

Jellal was put into deep thought for a short while then he snapped his fingers in a eureka moment. "_Lu-chan_, how about I take over training Gray from now on?"

Take over? Training? _Lu-chan_?! The idol could feel the veins on his head popping out of annoyance. _Who made him the boss of everyone around here_? "I—"

"That'd be cool, right, senpai?" Lucy said as she smiled excitedly at Gray, as if pleading him to agree. "After all, I could only teach you so much compared to a Julliard graduate like Jellal-senpai."

"_You're a graduate from Julliard_?!" Gray tried not to sound as surprised as he actually was. "How old are you exactly?"

"Twenty," Jellal smiled. "Well? Do you agree?"

_It would be different if a pro would teach me_, Gray thought, _but Jellal just... gets on my nerves_.

"I'll give you time to think about it," Jellal said, "In the meantime, how about you show me how much Lu-chan has taught you?"

The man started to play a familiar tune on the piano. It was the same song Gray had sung during their first meeting.

_Hey, girl, tell me your name  
Promise I won't bite  
Just wanna know you  
Just wanna spend some time_

Gray sang to the best of his ability: trying not to get too annoyed at Jellal while trying to do all Lucy had taught him. It was hard but he endured until the last chorus before the dreaded end.

_I've been looking awhile  
I can tell you're one-of-a-kind  
No one is like you  
You're my one-in-a-million find_

"Now when you sing the last line, I want you to bend as low as possible without exerting any effort on your upper body*****," Jellal politely ordered. Gray's eyebrow shot up at this strange idea but Jellal only nodded; _He's not kidding around_.

It came for the end and the idol obliged, bending his body as he sang.

_You're my one in a million—_

"Breathe properly and _relax_—" said Jellal.

—_find—_

Gray sustained this not as he was bending down until he was out of breath. When he stood back straight up, his face was already red.

"I wish you've heard your voice," Jellal commented in surprise, "It was the _real deal_, you know?"

"_What_?"

"Your voice didn't quiver and Lucy's obviously taught you the mechanics of breathing well. You've grown in only a week that I was gone."

Gray couldn't even tell if what he was saying is true. Then again, why would he lie? He didn't seem like the kind of person to suck up to someone like that.

"You're like a raw diamond that I want to polish," Jellal smirked, "Can you withstand the process, though?"

The idol pouted. _This man has got a thing for manipulating people, doesn't he_? He really didn't want to be _buddy-buddy _with him but with all that he's said, he was really considering _trying_. It took a while before Gray finally decided and spoke.

"I honestly don't like you," Gray said, "But if you can do that—" The idol bowed very lowly and continued, "—_please do so_."

Gray could feel himself blushing at this. He, the magnificent Gray Fullbuster, singer and leader of the idol group Fairy Tail, was swallowing an ocean of his pride in order to take on something he was unsure of. It was a first time in his life that he'd accepted that another man was above him, aside from Makarov Dreyar, who he already treated as a grandfather.

"I s-see..." Jellal said out loud. He was obviously taken-aback at how Gray suddenly bowed to him like that. "So this is what Makarov-san was telling me about."

"_I beg your pardon_?" Gray said.

"Nothing," he replied, "At any rate, it seems you've learned a thing or two from Lucy. _Expect_ that I'll try to make you learn a lot more. And take note: _I won't go easy on you_."

"Gotcha," Gray replied and Jellal smiled.

"Now I'll be getting some things from the teacher's lounge," he said, "Why don't you two start to get the room ready for when the others arrive?"

"_Hai, senpai!_" Lucy said enthusiastically, surprising Gray. He had completely forgotten about her presence from all that gibber-gabber talk. Jellal nodded and left the two alone.

Lucy let out a mocking giggle after that and Gray looked at her. "What?" he said, eyebrows together.

"You bowed—low..." she said.

"Hey, that was—" Lucy cut him off before he could even justify his actions with a self-serving excuse.

"You're _really_ proud, aren't you? Have you even tried humbling yourself once before this one?" she said. _Again with her blunt little comments like I have no feelings_, Gray thought.

"Look, kid—"

"I don't know if I've said it before but pride is a _poison_... But it's the only poison that doesn't kill you when you swallow..." she interrupted, "It's never wrong to admit help, you know? That's how you got _me_ to coach you, wasn't it?"

Gray was now at the peak of annoyance; not because what Lucy was saying was wrong, but because he couldn't accept that she was right—all the more he proves that he was, indeed, proud.

The two were staring at each other for a short moment when Lucy let out another fought-back giggle.

"_What now_?"

"Might I comment? You have a nice _butt_..." she said, "And your ears are really cute when you blush—"

"_I don't need to hear that from someone who hid under the piano because she's scared of a little rain and thunder_!" he finally yelled, shutting Lucy up with in horror-struck disbelief. There. He had used his secret weapon and _by God _did it work! Slowly, her face turned bright red until the tips of her ears were of the same color.

"D-Don't tell anyone..." she pleaded.

"_You_ don't tell anyone," he said.

"I won't if _you won't_."

Gray smirked at this. She talked about pride like she was the humblest person on the face of the planet but she herself couldn't _fathom _the fact that people would know about her little secret.

"_Deal_," he immediately said.

The silently blond left the room, her head bowed low. _Just this once, she's lost to me in verbal confrontation_, Gray thought and the more he did, the more his ego swelled. It would have been a really great victory, too, if he hadn't remembered one thing: he still didn't have her number.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Well, _that _was long. Consider it as an apology because of my sudden hiatus. It's been a long time, too, since I opened my mail and _ta-dah_ (think trumpet noises and confetti)! A lot of people have favorited/followed/reviewed my stories! _**DOMO ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU**_! You make me really happy! I may not be able to PM and thank all of you but I say this to you all in general. You really inspire me. Again, thank you so much!

**MissAlphabetical, tayenatay, ShibuyaPsychicResearch, teacupcococake, Chiharu Himeji, FairyTailFTW, Jaz-147, Cal-Kitty, 1fairytaillover, , joijoiiscool1, janellaras, Kat.14.15, natpereira, Demon-Maid-Nova-Jigoku, one piece girl 99999, Mini-Silver, whattheeffjan: **Thank you all for following/favoriting this story! I hope not to disappoint you! *tears*

**FallingStar93, fairytaillover416, kaileenholic, Lillian Jade, jd (guest), MangaFanReader, IloveCelestialIce, 1fairytaillover, WolfieANNE, AngelXReaper, proud to be foreveralone, phantomhive19, natpereira, Mini-Silver: **Thank you for your reviews, comments and PM's. Yes, I love you guys, too. And I will continue. Thank you for being so _sweet _and I pray you will continue to be so.

*****Okay, I know this is weird but hey—that's just who I am. Bending your body forward without exerting any effort on your upper torso makes the air that you've breathed in deeply in your lungs (without raising your chest, remember?) just get released with a relaxed sound. This is usually the exercise so you won't depend your neck too much when singing. Remember, stressing the neck muscles when singing is a no-no which can cause laryngitis and even _throat cancer_! _Yeowch_! So the next time you sing, try bending forward as Gray did. I may not be _master _of this but I hope it's helpful…

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. E_


	12. Chapter 11

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **So inspired! Today, we got to try tossing and passing for a Flag Football game! It was pretty fun! And I just turned a year older last December 15th! I'm so glad to be alive! Aren't you? Anyway, a new chapter for you guys! With much love… *smiles*

PS, this chapter isn't much... It's just an intro to Gray's arc so don't expect much... I'm sorry! I still have two exams! I'll do my best!

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER ELEVEN-**_  
__Where Gray smells something fishy… very fishy._

Gray watched through the huge glass window as Natsu sang the lead for their new song which they entitled, 'Storm Song.' They've just recorded the music and now it was time to do the voice. Although usually, the leader would be complaining about Natsu singing lead, he was actually keeping a cool head and continued to stare as the pink-haired drummer sang smoothly.

Erza noticed his calmness and stood beside him. "You're pretty cool about Natsu singing lead."

"_I _was the one who decided that in the first place," Gray said coolly, "So of course, I'd be cool."

"No, I mean, usually, you'd yap about being the leader and singing lead. But you actually chose to sing back-up," Erza smirked. She put a hand on her hip and cocked her head as she watched Natsu, too. "What changed you?"

"Nothing," he said, "Nothing about me has changed."

_That's what _you _think_, Erza thought. Recently, she had been noticing that he was putting less of a fight when he's being ordered around. "Anyway, it's a pretty good song. What inspired you?"

"It's a good song, alright. Obviously a proper song for the rainy days," he said, "But I think Natsu's voice makes it even more touching." Erza snapped her head at him slowly, trying to hide the shock on her face. The high-and-mighty Gray was actually _praising _someone.

"I mean, listen to his voice. It's _perfect_ for the song. It just makes you calm and comfortable," Gray continued, "If it were me…"

"If it were _you_," Erza said, "It'd sound plain… _Not touching at all_."

Gray pouted. Ever since the red-head trained them, she's been calling him a singing robot. "I know, I know…"

After a while, Natsu finished recording his part and walked out of the room. "Gajeel, it's your turn."

Gajeel looked up from looking at the paper he'd been writing on. He frowned at Natsu and disapprovingly stood up. "Let's just get this over with. We've an essay to write and math homework to do, you know?"

"Essays and homework?" Erza asked. She sat down on the couch beside Natsu and Gray followed. She picked up Gajeel's essay and started skimming it. "Right, you're high school students… Homework is a given. What is it about?"

"The math homework?" Natsu asked, "It was about functions and that stuff, right?" Gray nodded.

"And the essay?" Erza asked, "It's about goals and dreams? Are you guys done?"

"Yup!" Natsu said, "The essay was surprisingly subjective so I finished early with a three-page essay."

"Gray?" The red-head turned to the brunette beside her who only pouted. "Are you done?"

"Of _course_, I'm done. _Why wouldn't I be done_?" he snapped. "It's just an essay about dreams and such so of course I'd be done."

Gray heaved sigh and leaned back on the couch. It was true that he was done with the essay. The problem was what he wrote in it.

* * *

"So as you all know, we're going to have a performance during the school Christmas festival's grand opening night," Jellal explained. They were just about to wrap up when he called for their attention about their said performance. "I was thinking we could do our 'Phantom of the Opera' and a few other songs."

The members were all abuzz; some agreed while some were unsure. Natsu, who sat beside Lucy, elbowed her and caught her attention.

"You sing Broadway?" Natsu asked, excited, "And the 'Phantom' at that…"

"I'm new here so I'm not sure…" Lucy laughed, "But if it's Jellal-senpai, then broadway is easy as pie."

"My respect is really starting to grow for that guy…" Natsu said in admiration to the Cerulean-haired drill master.

"And I decided that if we're going to sing a choral version of 'Go the Distance,' we should at least have two solos," he added, "One girl and one boy."

Lucy's face lit up like a Christmas tree. She knew she wasn't as good as the other sopranos but at least she's got a chance.

"I've already decided the male soloist," Jellal announced, "So if any of you girls want to try out for the female solo, come see me at the teacher's lounge… That's all for today. See you this Wednesday."

The people slowly stood up, talking about their Christmas performance. A few girls immediately approached Jellal, wanting to try out for the female role. Lucy, on the other hand, wanted to wait until he was alone so she stayed with Fairy Tail who were chatting about business matters.

"—so grandpa told me we'd probably shoot for a music video of 'Storm Song,'" Gray whispered to them. "So you guys better finish up all homework, essays and projects so we'd shoot smoothly."

"Hey, blondie," Gajeel called out in a rough voice. Lucy turned, eyes wide open at him. "You're going to help me with my Algebra."

The blond girl pouted. "Are you even _supposed _to have an underclassman teach you, Gajeel-san?" She blew her bangs out of her forehead and crossed her arms, "As long as you play nice with Levy."

"Hey." Jellal walked towards them with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Jellal," Natsu greeted, "You want something from us?"

"Oh, yeah…" he replied and smiled at Natsu, "I said that I already decided on the male lead in 'Go the Distance', right?"

The four of them nodded.

"Well, since Fairy Tail is already here with us, I decided it would be good exposure for you guys," he said, "So I decided to have one of you guys sing it."

"Cool!" Natsu exclaimed, "So who've you decided on?"

Jellal beamed at Natsu. _Just as I thought_, Gray mused. _Of course, he'd choose Natsu_. Somehow, the brunette was disappointed but he didn't talk about it. He'd already accepted the fact that he'd always be the underdog. Just because he was the leader didn't mean that he was the best, after all. And it didn't mean he was going to be chosen—

"Gray."

"What?!" The raven-haired leader's train of thought suddenly stopped when he heard his name. Natsu immediately jumped at Gray and Lucy beamed proudly at him.

"Cool!" Natsu said, "I would've wanted to do it but since it's Gray…!"

"Well, Gray?" said Jellal, "You've no objections, have you? I won't accept a 'no.'"

"I—"

Jellal smiled but looked at him with eyes that held a challenge in them. Gray gulped. Was this part of training?

"F-Fine…" he said, "But you can't take it back now, okay?"

"I'd never want it otherwise," Jellal said and bid goodbye to them.

_It should be easy, _Gray thought, not listening to Natsu's yapping and Lucy's excited squealing or Gajeel's grunting. _The solo is within my range, I think. Just some practice and—_. No. Even within himself, Gray knew that Natsu could sing it better. So why did Jellal choose him?

He was confused. What was Jellal's motive? A heavy feeling was laid on his chest after that. Somehow, he could tell that he'd probably regret taking Jellal's challenge. _He just didn't know why_.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Yes, that's it _for now_. Because I love it when stories are cut in the most thrilling parts. Well, the end wasn't as thrilling as I intended; it was supposed to have much, much, _much _more—well, _muchness_. I hope you guys will stay tuned for the next chapter. I don't know when that will be, though. *laughs*

**ACKNOWLEDGMENT: **Apparently, this story is receiving much love! Wow! Thank you guys! You totally inspire me to write… The problem now is I don't know _what _to right… Ironic, huh? Anyway, thanks again and I hope you guys will continue your support!

Lovelovelove!

**strawberry1021, oshirajinda, miyu-chin, robinfan1, AmuletDragonSlayerFairy, ReianaA, zet-sama45, Fab3rry: **Thank you for taking interest in this story… I promise to write more and hope I won't disappoint you…

**guest (12/13/12), ILoveCelestialIce, AmuletDragonSlayerFairy, FallingStar93, Mini-Silver, AngelXReaper****, ****proud to be foreveralone****: **I'm always welcome to reviews, comments and suggestions. Thanks for bothering to do a bit of typing to tell me what you actually think… I hope to write more chapters with a bit of speed, if you know what I mean. Sorry for being a lousy updater but I'm really busy with exams. You know, college isn't the walk in the park they've always told me. Anyway, thanks to you guys! Much love!

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _


	13. Chapter 12

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Last two exams for the year! UGH! Why can't I just enjoy my holidays without having to worry about things like these?! WHY?! WHY?! Anyway, here you go… Not much fluff but a lot of substance… I think… Go on and read! Tell me what you think! *winks*

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

PS, I'm using 'Go the Distance' here again. I assume you've already read my disclaimer two chapters back so I need not repeat myself… Thanks!

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWELVE-**_  
__Where essays tell you more about yourself than you actually wrote._

_I remember only dreaming about becoming a singer whom everyone knows. Ever since I was young, I haven't dreamt of anything else._

Jellal leaned back on his couch to make himself more comfortable. Then, he stretched his legs and rested them on the table on his living room. He was alone in his apartment and was checking his students' English essays. Most of the class' papers were mainstream—exactly what you'd expect from people in the prime of their teens. There was, however, one paper which really caught the blue-haired teacher's attention so much that he had to read it twice to be able to understand what exactly made the paper interesting other than the fact that it was only half a page long.

_Entering show business has made me realize that you can't have anything. Yes, you can give your all and try your best but there will always be someone who is better than you. You have to face reality and accept that there just things that can't be changed by hard work._

The twenty-year-old placed the paper in his hand down and rubbed his temples. The essay he was reading was already giving him a headache in addition to the migraine he's having. But after reading and re-reading it, he finally had a glimpse of what Gray's problem was—and he didn't know whether to be amused or worried first.

He immediately picked up his phone and dialled a friend's number. It rang four times before the person on the other end of the line finally picked up.

"Jellal?" Erza's voice sounded surprised and the man couldn't help but smile. It had been, after all, a year since he last called her. Even though they had just met again a few weeks ago, he didn't have the courage to actually dial her number for trivial things.

"Yeah, are you busy?" he asked, sitting straight and placing his feet on the floor.

"Not really, why?"

"I think I know what you mean by Gray being '_unmotivated_.'"

"You do?!" she exclaimed, impressed. "How?"

"I'm not sure yet but I think that I'm beginning to understand somehow," he answered. "Anyway, I think making him sing the solo part will prove me a thing or two."

"Should I be worried about it?" Erza asked. "Is it something serious?"

"No, not really. Not unless he becomes hopelessly apathetic," he explained. "As it is now, I think we can work something out."

"Oh… Okay…" The red-head sounded relieved, but a bit troubled still. "The master says he won't agree to take them abroad unless Gray straightens his problems out. Natsu and Gajeel have changed for the better, too—"

"You're stressing yourself again," Jellal cut-off. It was so Erza-like to worry about other people's sakes. "Do you ever even stop thinking about that?"

Erza made no reply and Jellal immediately knew he had caught her. He had always been able to tell.

"I'm right, aren't I?" he laughed, "Don't worry. I'll fix him right up."

"That worries me, too," Erza chuckled. "So I guess I'll tell him to see you tomorrow after class?"

"Yeah. Tell him he knows where to find me," he said. Erza bid him farewell and he reciprocated.

Jellal skimmed Gray's essay one more time. _The kid has a low self-efficacy_, he thought. How he was going to fix that, he didn't know. In fact, how was he even going to get started? He knew, for one, that Gray was hesitant to ask him for help; how in the world could he convince Gray to lower his pride until the wall he's set up finally disappears?

_It's not that I stopped dreaming or anything. It's just that I know better than to let myself hope and end up getting disappointed. I'm a realist, and I know my own limitations._

Jellal heaved a sigh. _This might actually be harder than I thought._

* * *

"What?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow at Jellal. The man sat in front of the piano and looked up at him with sincere eyes. "I thought you were going to teach me 'Go the Distance'?"

"Yes, but I want to hear you sing 'Storm Song' first," Jellal replied and started playing the chorus on the piano. "I listened to the YouTube version last night and it really _was_ comforting."

The raven-haired idol scratched the back of his neck at the other man's strange request. Despite this, he obliged and started to sing.

_Take my hand, sing my song_

_Wanna tell you you're not alone_

_When fear knocks on your door_

_We'll be singing in the storm_

Jellal pouted at him and stopped playing. "Can you sing it like you mean it?"

"Pardon?"

"Like you mean it… You know, _with feelings_…" Jellal said, "Imagine that you're singing it for someone who's _actually scared of the storm_ and you're trying to comfort them."

Gray nodded; _so that's what he meant_. The singer pictured Lucy trembling underneath the piano as he closed his eyes and sang. He tried to stop himself from laughing, remembering the blonde's weak moment; but he also sang it as Jellal told him—he meant every lyric.

"Okay, that's a pretty good feeling you gave to the song," the drill master praised, "You sounded like you were just making fun of the rain. It's a different interpretation but it was _comforting_, nonetheless."

"Thanks but… How is this teaching me to sing 'Go the Distance'?"

"Well, try singing 'Go the Distance' with as much feeling as you've just done to 'Storm Song,'" Jellal explained to him, "Like you're actually triumphant in the struggle to achieve your dreams."

Gray's eyebrows immediately met and his forehead was scrunched. The older man saw this and reprimanded him.

"You're a singer, aren't you? You should know how to paint the words in the hearts of the listeners," he said, "That's the difference between _good singers _and _great singers_. Good singers sing, great singers communicate—"

"I get it, I get it…" Gray said, "Let me give it a shot."

Jellal gave him his pitch and Gray started to sing the first verse.

_I have often dreamed_

_Of a far-off place_

_Where a great, warm welcome_

_Will be waiting for me_

_Where the crowds will cheer_

_When they see my face_

_And a voice keeps saying_

'_This is where I'm meant to be'_

"Okay, stop," Jellal interrupted, "It was a good try but… I still couldn't feel like you were singing it like you meant every word—"

"Let me try again with the chorus," the idol insisted; Jellal obliged.

_I will find my way_

_I can go the distance_

_I'll be there someday_

_If I can be strong_

_I know every mile_

_Will be worth my while_

_I will go most anywhere to find_

_Where I belong_

"Okay… I can hear you _try _but how about saying the words in your head to help you relate?" the blue-haired man suggested, pouting.

"You can't seriously think that I'll get this in my first try, right?" Gray complained, annoyed.

"You want to try again?" the other asked and Gray gritted his teeth as he nodded.

Gray sang it again from the top; he could sense Jellal unsatisfied as he watched him sing. _Why in the world doesn't he just replace me? Not many people know that he gave me the lead part, right? It shouldn't be too late to replace me now._

"_What are you doing_?" said Jellal loudly, "You were singing 'Storm Song' just fine with the emotions but with this song—you're like a robot—_completely emotionless_."

"Erza tells me that so you don't have to repeat it," Gray said and sat down.

The blue-haired drill master heaved a sigh. "You know what? Why don't we stop for now?"

"… Sounds good," Gray agreed.

"Listen to how it was sung in the original version. Try to imitate the feelings and passion Hercules had as he sang it," he suggested.

"Yes, yes—"

"Find the emotions to convey the song properly… But while you still can't do that," Jellal suggested, "Why don't you _act _as if you mean it?"

"What?"

"Singers are actors, too," he explained, "If you can't put authentic feelings, you should at least act like you have them. It won't have the best results but it's better than being a singing robot."

_A singing robot, huh_? Gray pouted as he watched Jellal leave the room in a downcast mood. He had been fine so far in show business without acting out his songs; he had touched a lot of people and probably seduced more. He was fine the way he was and he knew that was all he could do—that was his _limit_.

_And the song's something like this, too, _he thought. He sighed. _Natsu would've been better for the part. Why should I even bother?_

_CLUNK! _The sliding door opened and Lucy came in, sheet music in hand.

The two stared at each other for a brief moment in silence before Lucy finally greeted him, "Y-Yo, senpai…"

Gray simply nodded as he watched her make her way toward the piano and spread the sheet music in front of her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm… But before that—" Lucy looked up at him, "I saw Jellal-senpai leaving with his tattoo up-side-down. What happened?"

"His tattoo was _what_?" Gray exclaimed. It took him a while to realize that Lucy was talking figuratively and when he did, he gave himself a smack on the forehead, "Oh, _that_. I was… practicing for the male solo in 'Go the Distance'."

"Oh… Right… _You_ were handed the part on a sliver platter," she said and turned to the music sheets in front of her.

"And _you're _practicing for the female solo…" Gray smirked, "Did he give it to you already?"

"N-No…" she blushed, "I'm not even sure if I'm fit for the part…"

"Right—"

"Because there's Juvia from class 1-D and Elie*-senpai from class 3-A…" Lucy counted, "I know Jellal-senpai trusts in their abilities more than mine…"

"So why don't you just give up?" Gray asked, "If you're so certain that they're better than you, why fight a losing fight?"

"How do you know that you really _are _losing?" she asked him, "You'll never really know until it's over and done."

Gray's heart thumped somehow. Lucy made so much nonsense that it actually _made sense_. She was a diligent, hard-working person who was battling it out with equally-diligent geniuses; and he knew well how that comes out. He'd seen it when he tried to beat Natsu once—and he _failed._

"So? Are you going to practice with me or not?" Lucy smiled, a determined look on her face, "After all, you can't afford to lose face at the Christmas showcase, can you? And I want to sing this song more than anything…"

Gray pouted and he sat down beside her in front of the piano. "Sure thing… Don't go slacking-off now, 'kay?"

"Speak for yourself," she replied, "I'll show you that I can grab this solo part…"

_I admire your optimism, Luce, _he thought, _But that's not the only thing you'll need to get what you want_.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Oh, Gray… Spoken like a bitter realist… tsktsktsk…

*Remember Elie from Rave Master? Yeah… That's her… I thought, 'She _is _Lucy's ancestor or something…' so I had her make a cameo appearance… She's still from Hiro Mashima-sensei, after all! _

**ACKNOWLEDGMENT: **

**Quibi Love Lushy aye, Alice's Sister, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, Wintergrape: **Thank you for favoriting and following… I hope I don't disappoint… Wait, I say this to everyone! Hahaha! Anyway, thank you from the bottom of my hypothalamus! *hugs you*

**proud to be foreveralone, AngelXReaper, AmuletDragonSlayerFairy, guest (12/16/12), Le' CarolinnaXannej421, natpereira, 1fairytaillover: **Thank you for your reviews! Hope to hear from you again!

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _


	14. Chapter 13

**THE STORY SO FAR: **It was time for our heroes' Christmas showcase and there were vacant positions for the solos and _everyone _was practically aiming for it. Gray was handed the solo for a difficult piece for him and Jellal is _trying _to help him out. Will he figure out what's wrong before their drill master changes his mind and give the part to Natsu? Meanwhile, Lucy wants to sing the female solo in the same song Gray's doing. Will she grab the spot? Or will Santa give her a different gift this Christmas?

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas! Funny how I still have *a lot* of chores to do during vacation—and no, it's not even _funny _after all. Anyway, here's my Christmas present for you guys. Sorry if it's a _bit _late. *laughs*

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THIRTEEN-**_  
__Where help is always on the way! I hope love is, too. Merry Christmas!_

"_I knew it_. I should just leave!" the blond screamed as Natsu happily dragged her toward the teachers' lounge, followed closely by Gajeel and Gray.

"_Nonsense_! You would do better if you have _cheerleaders_." The pink-head effortlessly led her to the door. "Go on. Open it."

"I—"

"You said you wanted to sing 'Go the Distance' more than anything," Gray said, giving her a light push. She turned around and opened her mouth to say something but Gray covered it with his hand. "Go on and show me that that optimism and diligence of yours is enough to make you win."

"But—" Lucy stopped halfway through her muffled sentence to take Gray's hand away from her mouth, "I'd be more tense if I know you guys are listening."

"_Ku_! Where's that confident attitude now?" Gajeel teased, "_Chickening out_?"

"_N-No_!"

"Lucy?"

The four of them turned around and saw a blonde girl with a gray-haired teen boy beside her. They were walking towards them, smiling.

"_Elie-senpai_! _Haru-senpai_!" Lucy bowed as she greeted the third-years in their midst. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Lucy, Fairy Tail," the other girl greeted, "You're here for the auditions, too?"

_Too_? "Y-Yes... But I'm just gambling..." Lucy chuckled to hide the tension in her voice, "I'm nowhere as good as you."

Elie smacked Lucy's shoulder and giggled as she blushed. Lucy was almost toppled over because of the impact; luckily, Gajeel was behind her and caught her back, then pushed her back up.

"Oh, you flatter me. But you're full of potential as well," the older blonde said.

"Th-Thank you, senpai."

"Well, shall we get going?" Elie took Lucy by the wrist and dragged her inside the teachers' lounge.

The younger blonde watched as Natsu mouthed _'Ganbatte_!' to her, pumping his arms supportively; Gajeel was simply looking at her with an indifferent face but his gaze made her feel as if he was actually cheering her on. Gray winked at her and said something like, _'You can do it, senpai..._'

The door slid close behind Lucy and she bit her lip as she lost sight of Fairy Tail. She had been optimistic just the day before but now, she was suddenly jumpy; as if she had just lost a year's worth of confidence.

"Jellal-_sen-se-i_!" Lucy heard Elie greet. The other blond quickly turned and stiffened when she saw that their cerulean-haired teacher was smiling at both of them, as if he was expecting them.

"Elie, Lucy, I knew you'd be here sooner or later..." he greeted back, "Is this about 'Go the Distance' or 'Phantom'?"

"Wherever you want me, chief!" Elie said and saluted Jellal playfully.

"Lucy?" he asked and smiled gently.

"I... 'Go the Distance'," she replied, hearing her own heartbeat in her ears.

"Well, let's not waste any more time, then!" Jellal clapped his hands and led them to a corner where there was an upright piano. "So, who wants to go first? _There's nobody watching so, no pressure, okay_?"

* * *

_Lucy, I know you really want this but I don't think you're ready for it yet..._

The blond shook her head as she remembered what Jellal told her a while ago. Immediately after auditions, he chose Elie to sing both 'Go the Distance' and 'Phantom of the Opera' for two reasons: One, she was a graduating student and _'This may well be her last performance,'_ as Jellal said, and two: she was, as Lucy expected, above her in both experience and singing capabilities.

The girl sighed as she put the 'repeat' feature of her iPod on so as to play Fairy Tail's 'Storm Song' over and over again. As usual in her days of discomfort, she was sulking under the piano in the music room and was listening to her iPod with the volume maxed out.

Lucy closed her eyes and wanted the floor to just gobble her up forever—or at least until she gets over the frustration of her incapability.

She remained silent for a while then remembered a time when she was told that people can, somehow, tell if somebody is staring at them or not. Right then, Lucy opened her eyes only to catch sight of hair black as the night sky to her left staring at her. She looked and jumped, bumping her head on the piano when Gray pouted and made himself comfortable beside her. He stared at Lucy, one eyebrow up and lips pursed as if he had a lot to say, but chose not to.

"_What_?" she asked, taking off her earphones. He didn't answer. "C'mon! Spit it out, senpai!"

"_You didn't get the part, did you_?" he said bluntly, making her swallow. Was she that easy to read? "See? I told you, diligence can't win against God-given genius abilities..."

"_Yes, it can_!" she said, "It's just... It's not my time yet..."

Gray pouted and took one earphone. "Ah, so you _do_ find this song comforting," he said as he listened to their song playing.

"Someday," Lucy started, "Someday _my_ time will come and _I'll_ sing beautifully, too."

Her brunette of a companion looked at her as if remembering something and smirked. "I've heard that from an old... _friend_ before," he said. "She wanted to become a model and tried her best. She failed one trial after another. I told her to stop but she said she won't. Her time will come, she said. And she'll become a butterfly and grace the covers of magazines."

The blond watched as Gray's eyes melted in admiration for whoever he was talking about.

"And?" she asked, "Where is she now?"

"Paris," he announced, "_I think_. That's where she was the last time she called two months ago.

"She's..." he looked sheepishly at her like a boy bragging about a new toy car, "...a runway model now. And she's travelling around wherever there's a show."

The girl's heart pounded wildly. Whoever he was talking about had a very inspiring and, in her case, _comforting_ story. _Wait_. _Is this guy trying to comfort me_?

Lucy felt her nose and her eyes sting and her lips quiver. Her eyes started to become watery and when tears were just about to fall, the girl wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.

"You're trying to act so tough, but that's okay. You can cry later," Gray said. He crept out from under the piano and sat in front of it. "Right now, wanna help me practice?"

"_What_?" she exclaimed.

"My part for 'Go the Distance' isn't going too well," he explained, "For now, wanna sing the solo part with me? Just to practice."

Lucy smiled. _So he _was_ trying to comfort me—in his own way_. Feeling somewhat grateful for her senpai, Lucy sat beside him and gave him his pitch.

"Fine," she said, "But I'm not as good as Elie-senpai or Jellal-senpai."

"No, you're _not_," he said and Lucy turned to him, insulted. "_Not yet_."

Gray, then, looked at her and poked her forehead, "You said it yourself, _your_ time will come so be patient, _Goldilocks_."

For some reason, Lucy blushed and opened her pouted lips but, realizing it wasn't a time to argue, smiled.

_I know, I know_, she thought. _Thank you, senpai_. _When my time comes, you'll be front row_.

That afternoon, the two sang the duet over and over again.

* * *

Jellal sighed as he pursed his lips, staring at Gray. It was the fourth time he had stopped him in the middle of his solo and Lucy saw how Jellal's left eye was twitching—one sign that he was starting to lose patience.

"It's late," he said and massaged his temples, "Everyone, I'll see you this Friday for our next rehearsals."

The members, noticing Jellal's gloom, silently walked out one by one.

"_Gray_," Jellal whispered to the idol when there weren't much people left in the room, "I told you to _at least_ act like you meant it."

"I _was_ acting like I meant it," Gray hissed under his breath, "But I just can't bring myself to imagine how that's supposed to _feel_!"

"You'd better figure it out, Gray. I chose you to do this because I know you can pull through," Jellal said and pointed a finger at the other's chest, "_Now don't go proving me wrong_!"

Jellal left sulkily and Lucy, who was conveniently close, heard everything and wanted to go and stop him. However, she saw how pain and discouragement were written all over Gray's face and could only stare on.

Why didn't Gray speak back, anyway? And what did he mean that he couldn't imagine how it felt? Lucy wanted to reprimand him. How could he let Jellal talk to him like that? _Wait,_ she thought, she was thinking bad about Jellal! The blond mentally scolded herself.

"Gray, you okay?" Natsu said when he walked towards their leader with Gajeel, "You seem down."

"I'm okay," Gray snapped angrily. "What do you want, _Pink_?"

"We're going to the airport, dummy, and Erza's been waiting at the parking lot for half an hour already," Gajeel said.

_Airport_? The blonde thought.

"Airport? What're we doing there?" Gray asked.

"You'd be pleased, Gray," Natsu teased and elbowed his friend.

"Oh, really? I will?" Gray said sarcastically, "Why?"

Natsu grinned from ear to ear, snow white canines showing. "She's back, Gray. _Jane's back_."

Lucy's ears rang and she looked at Gray, who had a shocked—no—excited look on his face.

"Jane's... _back_," he said and walked like a zombie out of the room.

Lucy could only look on, confused. _Who was Jane and why was Gray like that?_

_RIING! RIING!_

Most importantly, why was Gray having such a hard time singing his part?

_RIING! RIING!_

The girl realized it was her phone ringing and answered it, flustered. She was so preoccupied, worried about problems not her own, that she couldn't even hear her own phone ring!

"Hello?" she greeted the caller.

"Lucy?" The blond realized it was Lisanna on the other line. "Hey, are you free?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I'd like to ask a favor."

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Happy holidays, minna! Hope you're enjoying your vacations right now… No classes! Isn't it _great_? So this is just part one of my Holiday gift to you… I'm not sure, though, when I'll be uploading the rest… Because I love thrills and I'm lazy… I'm sorry… *tee-hee!* Again, Merry Christmas!

**ACKNOWLEDGMENT: **

**KiDLatZ, KiraMinami24, animebunny23: **Thanks for the faves and follows! Merry Christmas! 3

**Eternal Fading Whispers, Grayluisawesome: **You are sweet, sweet people… Thank you for the reviews!

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _


	15. Chapter 14

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Part two of my late-Christmas-early-New-Year gift. There's _probably _a part three so keep your heads up for that... Hope you enjoy this super-long chapter complete with revelations, secrets and… fluff? Not sure but go on and read to find out! Love!

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER FOURTEEN-**_  
__Where the person you like doesn't exactly like you back. Poor Lucy… Poor Gray…_

Mirajane Strauss, Jane to her work-related acquaintances and Mira to her close friends, is a model. But she's not just _any _model. She's the most sought-after model in the industry: from fashion magazines to TV ads and commercials—she's the goddess. This earned her the Magnolia Grace Award*, making her the youngest recipient.

The nineteen-year-old had long, wavy, beautiful silver hair that fell just above her waist and large, blue eyes that were both innocent and voluptuous. She was a very diligent and hard-working girl, spending one and a half years to get to where she is and another two-years-and-counting to retain her crown. It's a tough job for such a fragile young lady. The competition was tough as nails but Mira gnawed and clawed her way to the top—and she doesn't want to give it to anybody just yet.

As Mira took her luggage and glanced around the crowded airport, she couldn't help but smile. It had been almost two years since she was in Magnolia, and at that time she was still a novice model. After finally making her big break and signing a contract with FT Entertainment, Mira was off to the United States to work with high-calibre photographers, fashion experts and magazine editors. And for once in those two years, she had never had a break. Tonight, she was wearing a beanie and large bumblebee sunglasses, a black sleeveless turtleneck and skin-tight pants under her red velvet coat, matched with leather boots, and trying not to attract any attention from the people; tonight, Mirajane Strauss was in a two-week vacation back in her hometown for the holidays. She smiled.

Mira unconsciously started to hum and bite her lips due to excitement and anxiety, earning her the attention of her green-haired manager, Fried Justine. "Nobody's going to notice you so stop being so hyperactive at eight in the evening."

"Oh, Fried," she said, "The jetlag must be getting to you. I'm not anxious; I'm _excited._"

"What's the difference?" her manager replied acidly, blowing bangs away from his eye. The man had strange, green hair that grew out of his head that color. The hair he liked to grow until it reached his waist. He had cat-like eyes which were tantalizing and serious, with a mole underneath the left one. Mira liked calling him the workaholic, one-faced manager who was very efficient, very dependable but very, very, _very _strict. Despite this, Mira had a strange fondness of the man.

She only stuck her tongue at him and looked around some more. "Did the master tell you who's going to come and get us tonight?"

"Yes." Fried looked at his wristwatch and then around him, "Erza is going to pick us up and she should be around here somewhere. She'll drop my things off at my apartment before we go to your place."

"Awwe," Mira pouted, "And I wanted to surprise my brother and sister, too!"

"_Yo! Jane!_" came a high-pitched voice, that of a male, in front of them. The two looked and from among the crowd, a teenage boy wearing a bonnet and large, lens-less glasses came running towards them, pink hair sticking out from his head.

"Oh, my! It's our _Salamander_!" Mira squealed and jogged to him, too, instantly hugging the boy upon contact. "How have you been, Natsu?"

Natsu looked up and fixed his glasses before smiling at her. "Same old, same old. We've debuted just about a month ago and we're already preparing for our next album!"

Mira smiled at him and looked behind the excited drummer. There, Erza in a white secretary suit walked towards her with a huge smile on her face. Beside the scarlet-haired lady were Gray and Gajeel, also in their disguises.

"Now, now, Natsu. You wouldn't want people to know Fairy Tail is here," Erza warned affectionately as she hugged Mira and kissed her cheek. The people around them were already starting to point and stare at the flashy group. "How've you been, Jane? Fried?"

"We're friends outside of work so you should call me Mira, you know?" she said. Mira handed Natsu her trolley and gave Gajeel a welcoming hug. "Hello, Gajeel. I see you've grown a few inches again?"

"_Hmph_," the bassist smirked proudly, broke off the hug and took the heavy handbag from Mirajane, "What can I say? It's in my _genes_."

Mira pouted lovingly. The younger teen had always pointed out that she had genes that coded for her short height and he loves to tease her about it. She was about to come up with a return statement when she noticed the raven-haired guitarist behind him, shying away from her and from the conversation.

The silver-haired maiden walked toward him, slightly pushing Gajeel aside. "Right. Push the dude with the bag away. Thanks for the greeting, _Mira_."

"Hello, Gray," she said and smiled at him, her eyes twinkling gently. She had always thought of Gray as a little brother who needed to be protected and taken care of.

The boy shyly smiled at her and pulled his baseball cap down to cover his eyes, but his mouth that split apart into a smile could still be seen, white teeth and dimples showing. "H-Hey, Jane…"

"C'mere," Mira said and pulled him into a tight hug and put her hand at the back of his neck. Gray had to bend forward a little to adjust to Mirajane's height while the latter slightly tiptoed to make it easier for him. "How many times do I have to remind you to call me Mira? And how've you been?"

Gray hugged her back and rested his chin on her shoulder. "All better now. You?"

"Well, you know… Same old, same old," Mira broke the hug and caressed his cheek with one hand. "So you've finally debuted, huh? I'm so proud of you, Gray."

"That's enough, Mira," Fried interrupted, smiling slightly, "It's late and your family is expecting us."

"Oh, right! We're going to have a welcome party at _your _place, right, Ja—I mean, Mira?" said Natsu and dragged the trolley close by as they walked. "Don't you have a little sister and a little brother?"

"Oh, yes, I do," she replied, "You haven't met them yet, have you? Oh, you'll get along just fine with our 'Sanna…"

Mira took Gray's arm and clung onto it. All of a sudden, everything that had happened that night for Gray—practice, Jellal, Go the Distance and his frustration—_were completely forgotten_. The girl always had that effect on him; she made everything alright, like there was no problem. And what's convenient was, she would always come at the time he needed her most—like now.

Gray smiled and held onto Mirajane's hand, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. _Great timing, as always,_ he thought, _Thank you, Mira_.

**829347921873**

Natsu blinked twice just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Surprisingly enough, the silver-haired girl who answered the door blinked back at him, equally surprised as he was.

His glasses slid down the bridge of his nose and almost fell but he still didn't move. He had to make out _why _his arts classmate was in Mirajane's house, wearing a pink apron and baby blue slippers. "Hey… Lisanna…? Uh, what're you doing here?"

"I… I'm—"

"'_Sanna_!" came Mirajane's excited squeal and she rushed at the other silver-haired girl with much vigor and energy. Without wasting any time, she clung to her neck and cried as she laughed. "Oh, I miss you so much!"

"Save the reunion for later, Mira, you have guests," reminded Fried, who immediately took off his shoes and wore the guest slippers on. He made his way into the room, bringing with him Mira's trolley and handbag.

"S-Sorry, Fried," Mira said sheepishly and wiped the tears on the corners of her eyes. She still didn't let go of Lisanna. "It's just that it's been a long time since I last saw my sister in the flesh and—"

"_Wa-Wa-Wa-Wait_!" Natsu exclaimed, waving his arms around. Gajeel had to block them while he made his way in. "_You guys are sisters_?!"

"Yes…?" Lisanna answered, "I thought you would've realized by now…"

Natsu pointed at Mira and said, "Mirajane Strauss…" Then, his finger travelled to Lisanna who was close to her, "Lisanna… _Strauss_…!" The pink-haired drummer ran a hand across his face when realization finally dawned on him. How could he not have seen the resemblance before?

"Usually, people would notice the resemblance upon first glance, Natsu," Lisanna commented and led Natsu in. "Please, come in. Elf-nii and Lu-chan have made dinner…"

Gray's ears perked up. _Lu-chan_?

He looked around when he entered the kitchen with them and there he saw a buff teenager with pointy, silver hair and large, droopy eyes. The teen had a scar on his eye and how it got there, he didn't want to find out. However, no matter how intimidating he looked, the fact that he had a blue apron on his body and a spatula on his hand was proof enough that he was gentler than his looks tell you. _He must be Elfman, _Gray thought, _such a strange but fitting name to this brute_.

Gray's eyes travelled down to a petite, blonde girl whose hair had been tied into a ponytail. She had chocolate brown eyes that wandered in surprise as they met with his dark ones. Lucy, too, was wearing an apron that had the words '_Best Cook_' written across the chest in red, cursive letters.

"Senpai! You're here!" Lucy greeted. It wasn't long before she, too, was tackled by Mira and pulled into a bear hug in between her and Elfman.

"What a lively family you have," Erza commented.

"They're all I have," Mira gently said, almost crying again if not for Lisanna immediately handing her a face towel. "Well, then. Shall we eat? Dinner's getting cold…"

**8973189273**

The welcome party for Mira was a blast and everyone was just as talkative as the other—except for Natsu who had been pacified by Lisanna with her 'please-behave-a-little' talk. But aside from that, everyone was having such a grand time.

They were now gathered around the small living room while Elfman and Lisanna did the dishes; Gray, on the other hand, remembered his "_assignment_" and chose to isolate himself to meditate on his part. He stood outside, at the veranda overlooking the city, listening to the original version of 'Go the Distance' on his phone.

"Hey, it's cold out here," he heard a sweet voice call out to him. He didn't even need to look behind to know who it was. He already knew it was Mirajane.

"I'm—" he took off the earphones and glanced at her, who also leaned on the railings with him, watching the beautiful night view of the city, "—_practicing_."

Mira looked at him with worry in her eyes but her smile was still on her face. Her hand travelled to his cheeks and her thumb traced the dark circles that were under his eyes. "You look tired… _stressed_, even. What's wrong?"

Gray hesitated to tell her his problem but as usual, Mira saw through him and pressed his hand to get him to tell her. He heaved a deep sigh before starting, "Mira… Has there ever been a time when you… had a _difficulty_ portraying a role when you model…?"

The girl thought deeply and cupped her chin between her thumb and forefinger. "Yeah… I _did _use to have trouble in sexy lingerie photo shoots…"

The brunette's ears and cheeks immediately heated up and he was thankful that it was cold and dark where they were. "Y-You did?" Mira nodded. "And… how did you… _figure out _what to do?"

"Hm… That's a tough one," she thought, "I can't remember exactly what I did… But I _do _remember feeling that I wasn't sexy enough to do such shots… I was still new back then, you see…

"I couldn't bring myself to exhibit the emotions that I needed to appear sexy in front of the camera," she explained. Even in the dark, Gray could see her shyly smile as she stared at the city lights below them. "But one day, I realized that _I don't have anything to be insecure about_ because… _I can be sexy if I wanted to_…

"So I just imagined that I was the most beautiful, sexiest woman in the world and, well… You can guess the rest…" she said and smiled at him. "But _why _are you asking me such questions for?"

"I… You see…" Gray scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. As usual, he wasn't himself whenever he was with Mira. She always had a knack for taming his inner beast—and he _admired _her for that. "I have to sing this certain song but… I don't know how to portray the feelings that the lyrics are trying to say."

"Oh?" she asked, "What kind of song is it?"

"A… song about… _dreams_…" he replied.

"Dreams, huh?" Mira said, "Now, _why would you have trouble with that_? You're Gray Fullbuster; the most ambitious, most competitive person I know!"

"I…" Gray smirked. _Is that how she sees me_? "I guess you're right…"

Mira sneezed beside him and shivered. "Boy, it's cold out here…"

Gray was about to take off his jacket to offer it to her, but the sliding door opened and Fried came in, bringing with him Mira's velvet coat. "Mira, you'll catch a cold in this temperature. At _least_ wear your coat."

The model smiled and walked towards him. She took the coat and kissed him on the cheek before thanking him. "How do you know what I need _when _I need it?"

The one-faced Fried smiled gently at his lover and placed a hand on her forehead. He had said something but Gray couldn't make out what it was. He was too immersed in the scene that all his other senses were blocked out.

He had harbored a long-time love interest in Mirajane Strauss but she was, unfortunately, already in a relationship with her manager, Fried Justine. Although Gray was very confident in his good looks and his charm, the fact that Mira would always and _only _see him as a little brother would probably never change; and so he hid his feelings, being contented with his 'friendly relationship' with Mirajane. He _could _go after her, but she _is _already happy with her slave driver of a boyfriend-slash-manager and how could he take that away from her? He was a gentleman—and reality was as cruel like that.

"Gray?" Mira asked, snapping Gray out of his inner-thought realization. "Where were we?"

"Uh… something about me having difficulty in a song about dreams…"

"Oh, yeah…" she said, "Dreams are… _motivation_… They're every person's lifeblood, you know? It's what keeps us going… We struggle and fight for the achievement of those dreams and even if we know we will lose or even die trying, just having them makes a person… _human!_

"Take me, for example… I've failed five auditions in a row before I finally got my big break in modelling. Even if I failed, because my dreams had such a strong hold on me, I was motivated to strive harder and harder."

"_And_…?" the brunette asked. "What do you think my problem is?"

"I think," she said and turned to him, "That _your _problem _isn't_ that you can'tfind the feelings of having dreams… It's that you're _afraid_…"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused. Him? Afraid? That was just… _impossible_.

"You're _Gray Fullbuster_. You're the most ambitious, most competitive guy I know," she repeated. "I know you have your own dreams. But you're just too afraid to… I don't know… _grasp _them…?"

"_Huh_?" His forehead was now scrunched together at the center very tightly. He couldn't even get a single thing of what this woman was talking about.

"It's hard for _me _to explain…" she sighed, "So I guess you'll have to figure out what I mean on your own…"

"But… I… _can't_..."

Mira playfully patted his back. "Don't worry. I _know _you can. _I believe in you_…" Then, she turned around to walk back inside the living room, "But don't rush yourself. It'll come… For now, why don't we come in where it's warm and cozy?"

"I… think I'll stay here for a little while more…" he said and watched as she went back inside and played Bingo with the rest of the guys.

Gray's mind was completely puzzled. He could feel that Mira knew what she was talking about and what she said was grammatically very correct. But why couldn't he just make them fit? She was talking about fears and dreams and motivations—it's too much for him.

_Afraid? _Gray ran through Mira's suggestions one by one again and he quite didn't agree with her with the last part. He was everything, but he _isn't _a coward. _And Mira, Gray Fullbuster isn't afraid of anything_.

* * *

Lucy couldn't quite figure out why Gray wasn't his usual, pompous, loud, bossy, proud self. Today, when he entered through those doors, he was very silent, shy and even _gloomy_. Could he still be beating himself up because of his solo part?

The blond wanted so much to comfort him but she couldn't get the timing. She was about to do it, but Mirajane beat her to it and started talking to him—and Gray was making goo-goo eyes at her. Could it be that he likes her? So Mira was the '_friend_' he was talking about? Well, it made perfect sense since Mira was a model from Paris.

_Poor Gray-senpai_, she thought as she watched Gray just space out at the sight of Mirajane kissing the lighting-bolt-haired guy called Fried. Lucy felt for Gray. She knew how it hurt to have the person you like choose someone over you. _Even if it's only over a freakin' solo part_, she thought and sighed as she remembered a certain blue-haired man with a large tattoo on his face.

_BUZZ! BUZZ!_

Lucy's phone vibrated in her pocket and she wiped the water on her hands on the apron before taking it out. She was about to drop it, too, when she read the name of the caller and it spelled _Jellal Fernandez_. The blond could practically hear her heart rap in her chest faster and faster by the second.

She flipped her phone open and with on trembling hand, pushed the 'Accept' button.

"_Hello—?_"

"Hello, Luce?" Jellal said on the other line before she could even start speaking.

"Yes, it's me…" she said and smiled, "Why are you calling for, senpai? Is something wrong?"

"N-No… Not really," he said, tension evident in his voice. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay…"

The girl blushed. "Wh-Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"You seemed down at practice and… I figured it must have been because of the whole audition thing…"

_He called just to tell me that_? Lucy was now practically in _heaven_. "I… I'll get over it…"

"Look, if you _still _want a solo… There's a small part for the alto in 'Phantom of the Opera'… You know, in 'Angel of Music'?"

"Y-You're giving it to me?!" she exclaimed.

"If you want it—"

"_Yes, I want it_!" she immediately said. Forget 'Go the Distance,' as long as she can sing a solo, even if it's just a tiny part, she'll grab every opportunity that comes her way.

"Good," she heard Jellal say in an extremely relieved tone, "I'm glad you agree…"

"Oh… You know… When life gives you lemons, right?"

Jellal laughed on the other line and became silent before finally saying, "Hey, is Fairy Tail there?"

"Uh, yeah… Why?"

"Would… By any chance, would an _Erza Scarlet_ be there with them?" he said sheepishly.

Lucy bit her lip and looked at the red-head who was now rejoicing at her triumph over Bingo. "Y-Yeah… Why?"

"N-Nevermind… I was just curious…" he said, "W-Well, good night, Lucy… Thank you and I'm _really _sorry…"

"It's okay, _Jellal_," she assured, "It's okay…"

The two hung up and the blond looked at Erza again. _Well, she _is _very pretty and smart. Her body is the real deal and well… She's practically Jellal's type_. The girl looked at her reflection in the cabinet's glass door. _Too bad I'm not like her_.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **What do you guys think? Me? I got nothing except that this may well be the longest chapter I've _ever _written in my entire life… -_- By the way, I just watched Avatar: Legend of Korra. Anyone know if there's gonna be a book two?

PS, Bo Lin FTW!

***Magnolia Grace Award – **Yeah, I just _love _making stuff up. Have you guys noticed? *laughs* Anyway, think of this award as a prestigious award given to the most graceful people (both men and women) in the entire universe—well, _their _universe, anyway.

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _


	16. Chapter 15

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Whee-ee~! *are never, ever, ever…* It's some sort of LSS because of TSwift… -_- And maybe it's because of this that I'm writing longer and longer chapters? Ugh! Please don't hate me too much for these… I _am _trying to summarize… *tears*

Anyway, _enjoy_!

**PS: **Somehow, the internet connection was cut so I wasn't able to update... Sorry...

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER FIFTEEN-**_  
__Where Gray runs... Run, Gray! Run!_

People were running around in the backstage like crazy. The performers were nervously rehearsing by themselves in the dressing room while those who got out early were waiting in the green room.

This was '_it_': only an hour before their Christmas Festival Showcase. It was a big night for the newbies and an even bigger night for Lucy, who was going to sing a solo for about two seconds. Despite that, she was shaky as an earthquake, practically wetting her pants.

"Ei, Luce, you okay?" greeted Natsu as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. The girl jumped and looked at him. "Hey, _you okay_?"

"I'm… _sort of _nervous," she said. "But I'll get over it."

"Sort of?" Gajeel said snidely and chuckled as he approached them. "You look like all blood has been drained out of your face. You call _that_ 'sort of'?"

"It's _your _fault!" she accused.

"_Our fault_?" Gajeel snapped, "How is this _our fault_?"

"Because of you, the audience has quadrupled and still increasing!" Lucy pointed out. It was true, though. The showcase was advertised to have Fairy Tail in it so reporters and fans from all over Fiore were coming to their school. Those who had a ticket but couldn't be accommodated inside had to stay outside and watch from a projector. Lucy felt her hands' temperature drop.

"Don't be so nervous," Natsu said and patted her shoulder, "It'll be okay. We've practiced for like, a million times—"

"_Gray_!" the three heard Jellal shout. They and other members who heard this looked around and saw Jellal walking furiously after Gray. The two disappeared behind the stage divider and the nervous members could only look at each other.

"This isn't good," Natsu said, biting his lips.

"Let's go after them," Lucy whispered. Gajeel and the drummer agreed and they stealthily ran after the two, avoiding the attention of those around them.

The three walked hurriedly and saw Jellal and Gray arguing near the exit. They were about to call them when Jellal suddenly raised a hand and punched Gray right in the cheek. The impact was so strong that it would have put Gajeel's attacks to shame.

"Gray! Jellal!" Natsu called and ran ahead of them. Gray saw this and ran away himself.

"_Senpai_!" Lucy yelled, hoping Gray would look back and stop, but he didn't. She glanced at Jellal who was as downcast as the raven-haired singer was. "Senpai, what happened?"

"I… I'm sorry… I just lost it…" Jellal explained. "He was just being so stubborn; telling me to give the solo part to you, Natsu."

"M-me?" the pink-haired Salamander asked. "And you didn't agree, did you?"

"No, I didn't," he said, "But he wanted me to do it and we… sort of exchanged a few harsh words and… Well, you know the rest…"

"_Screw that_!" Gajeel complained, "We need to find that troublesome guy immediately. The showcase is about to start…"

Jellal nodded. "Okay, let's—"

"_No_, senpai," Lucy interrupted, "_You're _our leader. The other members will go _ballistic _if you suddenly disappear. _We'll _look for Gray-senpai and you just stay here and get in the zone, okay?"

"But this is _my fault_."

"Nobody thinks it is," Natsu assured and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Now, go… We'll make sure to bring Gray back…"

* * *

The three split up to look for Gray: Gajeel searched the entrance, Natsu searched the field while Lucy, although being the smallest, volunteered to search the school building. She didn't know why but her gut was telling her to go to the fourth floor—and she _always _trusted her gut.

In the dark hallway, Lucy bravely opened room after room to search for Gray. She didn't call out his name, though. If he knew she was searching for him, he'd hide even more and she'll have to say goodbye to her debut performace.

_Damn it, where could that guy be_? She took out her phone to try and call him but remembered that she didn't have his number. _Note to self: get Gray Fullbuster's number_.

_CRASH_!

A mirror broke and Lucy turned to look where the sound came from. She listened some more and heard footsteps coming from the old stockroom to her right. Her stomach suddenly felt queasy when she heard deep breathing and sort of like a boy's whimper; she stepped forward and opened the door.

"_Sen…pai…_" she managed to say. Gray had his head between his knees as he laid his back on the wall, shattered pieces of mirror all around him. The shards were stained deep red… and so was Gray's knuckle. Lucy maneuvered her way through the maze of shelves and cabinets behind which Gray was.

Upon hearing the girl's whisper, Gray looked at her, his eyes drooping more than usual. He looked like he was in _pain_, but he only looked away and avoided Lucy's eyes.

"What are youdoing here?" the girl asked back and immediately rushed and sat beside him. She forcefully took his bleeding hand—Gray tried to take it away from her but she grabbed it right back as stubbornly as he did—and sighed. "The showcase is about to start!"

Gray blew on the bangs on his forehead and said in his most normal tone, "You don't need to know." Then, he attempted to stand up but his blond companion was surprisingly strong and pulled him back down.

Lucy slapped him lightly—but it still hurt him—to get him back to his senses. Then she grabbed his hand and laid it on her lap before taking her hanky and wiping the blood off. "Why don't you tell me? I'm a pretty good listener…"

"Che," the singer scoffed, "I'll tell you when we're closer…"

"Hey, I'm just trying to be nice…" Lucy said. "Uhm… Jellal-senpai said you _fought _and wanted to give the solo to Natsu…"

Gray pouted. He didn't feel like talking about it to her. He didn't reply and only watched as she took and opened a bottle from somewhere and poured its contents on his bleeding hand. It stung the singer's knuckles like hell and he immediately pulled his hand back to shake and blow on it. "_What the hell is that_?!"

"You're such a sissy. It's only disinfectant…" Lucy grabbed his hand again. "You got a hanky with you?"

Gray handed her his moss green bandana and she started to fold it. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here because _someone_ needed medical attention," she joked and bundled his fist with the bandana, "That _and _I saw how you got punched in the face by Jellal-senpai…"

The brunette heaved a sigh and hung his head again, hugging his legs close to him. "It's about the solo…"

"Why are you having such a _hard time_ with it?" she asked and sat beside him, "I mean, you haven't been like this with any other song…"

Gray remained silent and didn't look at her.

"You told me you'd tell me if we got _closer_," Lucy said and smiled at him. Gray glanced at her when he felt that she was moving so close to him that their shoulders touched each other; the boy flushed. "Is _this _close enough?"

At first, Gray was surprised. He didn't know whether she was joking or just plain stupid; but then she's probably _that _curious about his state—or worried about Jellal's career.

The brunette pushed Lucy's head to the other direction. "Fine, I'll tell you. Just don't stick that close to me… I'm a guy, after all…"

Lucy obliged and moved away, then sat in such a way that she was facing him. "So? What's the deal?"

Gray breathed in deeply, "I… don't know how to sing the solo part." He watched as Lucy's eyebrow shot straight up and her mouth hung open slightly. "_See_? I knew you wouldn't understand."

"_Of course, I don't understand_! How could you expect me to believe that joke?" she said, "I've heard you singing it before and _you were great_…"

"Jellal thinks otherwise," he replied and stared up at the ceiling. "He says I sing like an emotionless robot."

It was dark now and Lucy couldn't see Gray's face clearly so she squinted her eyes hoping to see him better. "Why don't you try singing it to me? I can't seem to get what you mean…"

The idol blew on his bangs again and sang the solo part for the male with as much '_expression_' as he could. "Well?"

"You're voice has really improved since Jellal-senpai started to train you," Lucy started, "But he's right. You _do _sing like an emotionless robot."

"Thanks… I _really _appreciate it," Gray replied sarcastically.

"Is there a reason why you can't do it with the feelings that can get through to the listener?" she asked plainly, as if knowing what he needs already.

"I… I don't know!" Gray said and faced her, even though he could hardly see her, "I just _can't_…"

Lucy was put into deep thought. "Can you tell me what you think of the lyrics of the song?"

"Well," Gray started, "They're clearly from a very ambitious man who had _big dreams_."

"And?"

"He's describing his dreams…" he explained, heart racing for some reason, "And telling _me _that… he'll do most anything to achieve them…"

"I know this sounds strange but trust me in this," Lucy said, "But can you tell me what your dreams are?"

The singer was taken aback. Not only was it a corny topic, it was a very _sensitive _one, too. And to have him tell that to _Lucy _of all people felt—_strange_.

"Hey, I'm trying to help you here," she said, "_At least_ be cooperative with me… Don't you want this or _do _you?"

Gray sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "I… wanted to become the _best singer_…"

The girl couldn't actually believe that he would do it. She had imagined him walking out on her or complaining his heart out but no… he was _actually doing it_.

"I wanted the world to know me and recognize my talent. I wanted them to listen to my songs and the music that I made…"

"Wait… '_Wanted'_?" Lucy asked.

"Y-Yeah… I was young then and I couldn't see the world for what it _really _is," he explained. Lucy was starting to get confused. "But now I know that I _can't _be the best…"

"And why's that?!" she asked, raising her voice. The very competitive Gray sounded as if he had just lost all will to fight.

"Face it, Lucy," he started, "I'm no genius… And those who can only work hard will _never _win against diligent geniuses like… Natsu…"

"Is _that _what this is about?" she asked, "_Winning_ against Natsu?"

"What?! _No_!" he said, "This is about being a _realist_… and learning to accept your limitations… You, _of all people_, should know that, having lost to Elie."

"_It's not an excuse to give up_!" she replied bitterly. _How dare he use me as an example_? "And I'll have you know that I haven't given up. Rather, I'm trying to make myself better to try again.

"_Are you_?" she said loudly, leaning in closer to him to emphasize her point. Surprisingly enough, Gray looked away in defeat, his dark eyes reflecting the white light that the moon outside brought.

"Th-There's no point in fighting a losing battle…" he said gloomily.

"You may have lost the battle," Lucy said as-a-matter-of-factly, "But it doesn't necessarily mean that you've lost the war."

"Yes, _it does_," Gray said pessimistically. "I… I _hate _losing more than anything. And I've already lost once. I don't want to lose again."

"Are you _really _the pompous Gray Fullbuster I knew? What is up with you? You sound like a completely different person!" Lucy said and spanked him on the arm. Then she pulled his cheek and put an arm on his shoulder to make him face her. "You sound like you're _afraid_…"

"Afraid of what?" Gray asked in disbelief. _Lucy's saying the same thing as Mira_.

"You're afraid to risk losing," Lucy explained, "You're afraid to lose, in fact. You're afraid to look weak and powerless in front of other people. So you stay in your comfort zone to avoid the pain and the shame. You're afraid to _fall_."

Lucy held out a hand and put it over Gray's bound one. "But senpai, only those who fall can stand back up stronger than ever," she said, her white teeth showing as she smiled gently at him. "You already said you've lost once… But have you been laying in the dust ever since? And are you _really _going to stay there forever?"

Gray could only stare at the girl's face. Even though he could hardly see because of the dimness of the light, he could feel her smiling gently at him, cheering him on. He sniffed and felt a teardrop on his cheek. He blinked.

"Senpai, you're a _trained professional_," she said. "You're still in this race! Are you going to let the people around you down _now_? Are you going to let _yourself _down?"

"… _No_," Gray said in a determined voice.

"That's what I thought," Lucy said and squeezed Gray's hand tightly.

"_O-Ow, ow, ow…_ You're hurting me…" he complained.

"Sorry," Lucy apologized and let go of his hand. "So? Are we going yet? The showcase is about to start."

"Yeah… We are…" Gray stood up and so did Lucy.

"You think you're more confident to sing the part now? _Even _without practice?"

"I _think _I can at least imagine how it feels…" _I'm not sure but I'll try_.

"You can do it, senpai," Lucy said and looked up at Gray. He, too, turned to her and stared for a long time before raising his hands and pulling her towards him, shocking the girl. "S-Sen… Senpai?"

"_Thanks for slapping me_," he said closely to her ear, giving the girl goosebumps down her spine. He let go of her and ruffled her hair, completely proud of himself. "Now let's go before they post our faces on milk cartons."

* * *

"Did you find him?" Jellal said, approaching Gajeel who had just come back. Natsu came before him, but with no sign of Gray at all.

Gajeel shook his head from side to side. "I didn't see him anywhere near the entrance and beside the auditorium."

Jellal dropped on the couch, massaging his temples. "The showcase starts in less than fifteen minutes… I hope Lucy found him…"

"Jellal-sensei?" Levy called out and peeked through the doorframe of the green room.

"Yes, Levy?"

"Lucy's back…" she started, "And Gray is with her…"

Jellal stood back up and walked out of the room to see where the two were. True enough, Lucy and Gray had just arrived, sweating and panting like crazy.

"Gray… Lucy…" Jellal managed to say.

"Hey, senpai…" the blond greeted.

"You okay?" he asked. The blond nodded. "Gray?"

"Yeah… Better…"

"I… think I'll give you guys some time to talk…" said Lucy and grabbed Levy, Gajee and Natsu out of the hall.

"Look… I'm… _really sorry _about the punch. I just lost it back there," Jellal explained.

"Forget about it," Gray said, "I was pretty bad back there myself. So let's just let bygones be bygones."

"And… the solo? Are you still doing it?" he asked.

"Yeah… I am…"

Gray held out a hand to Jellal and the latter gladly shook it.

"Uh… You guys done?" Lucy immediately interrupted, her voice a bit tense.

"Yeah," Gray replied, "Why?"

"The show's starting in ten minutes and we need to get in the _zone_…" she said, almost jumping up and down.

"Alright," Jellal announced, "Call everyone into the Green Room. This is a company call."

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Remember that Korra-diction I had? Well, it's gonna have to wait until March to be satisfied. Somehow, the creators are giving me a hard time to get over it and a harder time to wait…

Anyway, the New Year's almost here, aren't you glad to have been alive? I know I am! ^^

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _


	17. Chapter 16

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **My mother and I are watching all of the Twilight Saga films… Although it's kinda awkward because I don't usually spend time watching romance flicks with my mom, I'm actually kind of glad… Well, it's not every day I get to see her—let alone watch a movie with her.

Well enough about me… Let's get on with this fanfic! Enjoy!

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER SIXTEEN-**_  
__Where the night is crazy… just _crazy_._

The applause and deafening cheers continued for two more minutes, even after the performers had done their curtain calls. They were instant celebrities—though it really wasn't anything new for Fairy Tail.

Fans were mobbing them, asking for autographs and pictures though Gajeel was more reluctant to do so. But overall, the showcase was a success and all of them were satisfied, _especially_ Jellal with Gray's performance. The cerulean-haired drill master eagerly shook Gray's hand and pat his shoulder proudly a few times. Although the performance wasn't perfect, it was great enough to actually move the audience to tears.

"_Lucy_!" yelled Natsu from among the crowd. The blond turned, dried her wet eyes and struggled to get to him.

"_Natsu_!" she called back. When they got close enough they did a high-five and laughed without reason. Then, the blond jumped into the drummer's arms. "That was just... _amazing_!"

Natsu broke the hug and wrapped his arm around her neck. Then, he pressed a knuckle on her crown. "I know, right? It's like I'm debuting _all over again_!"

"Is this how it felt like when you debuted?"

"More or less," the pink-head replied, "But with less people on stage with us." Natsu raised his palm again.

"What's that for _now_?" Lucy asked.

"I'm really proud of your solo," he said, "So c'mon and give me five!"

Lucy blushed and hit palms with her friend. "Thanks, Natsu," she said.

"I've always been myself around you... like I'm not a rising superstar."

"That's because you're _not_," Lucy replied, giving his chest a gentle punch, "You're Natsu Dragneel of class 2-A, first tenor and top calibre _prankster_."

Natsu's slanted eyes looked at her and smirked, "I am? Then what is _he_?"

"Who?" The blond turned to look at whoever Natsu was pointing to, and it was their raven-haired soloist talking to Mirajane, giving them death stares every now-and-then from the deserted backstage.

"What are you getting at, Natsu?"

"Nothing," he replied, waving his arms defensively, "I just wanted to hear what you thought of the other guys."

"Senpai is a really childish and proud singer," she said to him, "But he's hardworking despite his stubbornness and he has that ability to cheer people on…"

Natsu chuckled snidely and ruffled her hair, "You like him, don't you?"

"Wh-What are you spouting?" the girl exclaimed, "_I certainly do not_!"

"You're a bad liar."

"I think I'd know who I like, _thank you very much_."

Lucy turned to look at Gray who was now being hugged by Mirajane warmly. The blond smiled and felt butterflies in her stomach—it was like she was watching a romance film and _this_ was the happy ending.

_I wonder where my happy ending is? _The blond sighed and turned; _better give Mira and Gray some privacy_. As she turned back to Natsu, she saw their tattooed drill master go out by the back door.

A smile was immediately painted on her face as she moved through the crowd to follow Jellal. _He has to know that I'm proud of him_, she thought, _and how happy I am for him_. She pushed the back door open slightly and saw Jellal, his back turned on her. But when she looked again, the beautiful man was with an equally-gorgeous red-head wearing a white pencil dress.

Lucy's heart felt like a million tons of weight. She didn't have to hear what they talked about to know that she had no place there; the two looked perfect just like that. But why was she just standing instead of averting her eyes to keep herself from hurting?

Jellal slowly lowered his face onto Erza's, ready to plant a kiss on her lips. The blond froze even more and her eyes widened; her heart felt like exploding into a million pieces.

Then, just when Jellal and Erza's lips were about to meet, somebody pulled her and made her turn around rapidly. She landed softly on his chest.

"You're the only one _stupid_ enough to keep staring," he said.

* * *

He would've understood if she was going after Gray, but _Jellal_?

_I was so sure that she liked Gray_, Natsu mused to himself as he quickly wrote down on a photograph. Lucy had suddenly walked off after Jellal, leaving him behind at the mercy of fangirls. The two girls who approached the drummer wanted to take a photo with him. Being good natured as he is, Natsu agreed.

"_Mind if I take picture, too_?"

"_Lisanna_!" Natsu exclaimed, seeing the girl behind him, carrying a professional camera with her. The two other girls excused themselves to give Natsu and Lisanna some privacy.

"_Smile_, Natsu!" she said, adjusting the focus of the lens. With one click, a bright light flashed and she had successfully stolen a picture of the idol.

"Hey! You'd better not sell those pictures," he joked as he looked at it. "I see you've made time to watch our showcase. I saw Jane at the backstage, too..."

"Yeah... She had to sign some papers but she hurried just to see the show." Natsu smiled at her and she put both hands on her waist. "So… what now?"

"Well, the company's prepared a congratulatory party for us at a resto—?"

_KRIING!_

Natsu's phone rang, stopping him mid-sentence.

"You should answer that first," Lisanna said. Natsu smiled sheepishly and excused himself.

The Salamander looked at the number of the caller: _it was unregistered_. Smiling excitedly, he answered the phone.

"_Mom_?" he said. His mom had about a hundred different phone numbers and she has never used the same one twice so immediately when someone with an unregistered number, he had a clue who it was.

"Natsu…" The woman on the other end of the line sounded calm and sweet but authoritative at the same time.

"Hey, you called," he replied with much happiness in his voice, "How're you?"

"Fine. I heard you were having a performance tonight?" she said.

"Yeah," he said proudly, "It's over already, though. But I bet you could catch it on YouTube FanCam and—"

"Are you _really_ going to pursue that career?" Mrs. Dragneel asked, worried.

"_Mom_!" Natsu hissed. His mood was now changing as their conversation continued, "I told you that this is what I really wanted...!"

"But, dear... You know that the company's future rests in your hands," she argued, "Your father and I would really want you to get a degree in business management."

"Mom, please, are we _really _going to talk about this?" Natsu's hand was now clutching his phone tightly while the other balled into a fist, trembling. "I mean, tonight is a really big night for me."

"I'm sorry, dear," his mother's voice sounded remorseful, but still very firm, "But you know we only want what's best for you. We love—"

"_Please, mom_. If you're going to call just to say the same things, then _don't call_ at all."

"Think about it, son. It isn't too late yet—"

"_Goodbye_, mom," Natsu said with a deep sigh, "Love you."

He hung up, looking downcast. It wasn't really his idea of a conversation with his mother. The last time she called, she was so careful and even asked about how his career was going. _I guess this is why she's been calling frequently_, he mused.

"Hey, you okay?" Lisanna saw how Natsu was acting and immediately came to cheer him up.

Natsu feigned a smile and touched his stomach. "I'm really hungry. Let's go and get the others so we could have the victory party!"

The girl looked at him suspiciously. "You don't look as fine to me."

Natsu pushed her towards the exit. "Believe me, I am."

"Okay, I believe you," Lisanna said, "But you know I'm here to listen, right?"

* * *

"Hey, get back here!" Gajeel yelled after Natsu. He was making a quick escape from the fans who had crowded around Gajeel. There were so many of them that he had to use two hands to sign autographs; good thing he was _ambidextrous_.

"Gajeel-san, congratulations!" said one fan. Gajeel only nodded half-heartedly and gave her a signed paper. The idol was now getting irritated and he was incessantly tapping his foot as the fans pushed closer to him.

Gajeel looked around the backstage to find Natsu, but he was on the phone; rude as he was, he wouldn't interrupt a person on the phone. He knows _he _wouldn't like it if _that _happened to him.

_Guess I'll have to hold out a bit longer_, he thought to himself. He turned to look at where he was writing again when his eyes caught a streak of blue and orange. He looked up again and saw, at the very back of the crowding fans, Levy McGarden looking away from him.

The idol smirked and stopped writing. "I gotta go," he simply said and made his silent escape. However, when he passed by Levy, he whispered to her, '_Green Room_'. Surprised, the young girl could only look on at the idol.

Meanwhile, Gajeel stretched his tired legs by laying them straight on the small center table. Who knew the concert was going to get him so beat? Not to mention all the girls around.

The door opened and the shy blue-haired girl entered the deserted room quietly. She stood by the door, looking at Gajeel. "Uhm… You wanted something from me, Gajeel-san?"

"_No_," he scoffed and rested his head on the couch. He closed his eyes and said, "Why would _I _need anything from _you_?"

"But I—You… whispered something—I thought…" Levy was obviously nervous and trying hard to find the right words.

"Oh, _that_…" Gajeel didn't finish the sentence but continued to remain silent and close his eyes on the couch. _Seems like she didn't need anything, after all_, he thought.

The raven-haired bassist felt a weight to his left, as if a person had just sat down beside him. True enough, when he opened his eyes Levy was already sitting down, an arm's length away from him. Despite this distance, there came an awfully heavy silence between the two of them and this made Levy sweat pebbles.

"Con-Congratulations, by the way," came Levy's attempt to start a conversation.

"Mm…" Gajeel lazily replied. It wasn't even a word but just a sound. Either way, he didn't feel like spending any energy to actually open his mouth.

"Actually, I…" Gajeel heard the sound of paper being rubbed against each other, "I wanted to ask if—"

"_Hey, is anyone here_?" Natsu and Lisanna came and burst open the door. "Oh… _Oh_!"

The brunette immediately sat up to look at Natsu who sounded as if he had just found something very interesting, only to find Levy leaning over towards him. Gajeel was surprised, of course, and he slid down and fell on the wooden floor.

"Sorry, we didn't know you guys were—Were we interrupting something?" Natsu teased and covered a hand over his mouth as he snickered. Gajeel was immediately annoyed and wanted to beat the _hell _out of him.

"Shut up. You know it's not what you think," Gajeel said and stood up. "What do you want?"

"We're all going to the victory party," Lisanna said, "Erza told us to 'round everyone up'."

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel said and waved a hand at them, "Go on ahead of me. I have to go to the bathroom first."

"Okay!" Natsu enthusiastically grabbed Levy and Lisanna, and pushed them out of the room.

_Annoying_, the brunette thought. He glanced down at the couch where Levy sat and saw that she had left her sheet music, probably due to excitement. _And forgetful_, he added.

Gajeel took it in his hands and, curious, opened it. He had expected to see something that might interest him but there was none. Instead, there was a lot of papers inserted in disarray, some old and some, very, _very _old. _Boring_, he said to himself. Despite being a very tidy girl, her portfolio was surprisingly messy.

He flipped the pages some more, wanting to find more interesting stuff, and, at the very back, found a red ribbon tucked neatly inside. In the very disorganized portfolio, it looked as if it was put there with much care; and the ribbon looked _familiar_, too.

_Right_! The ribbon was the one he had tied around his cat's neck once, but he didn't like it so he chose to hide it away. But how did it get there? Realization dawned upon Gajeel and he remembered it was the same ribbon he had tied around the box he gave her for her birthday.

A bit elated and a lot amused, Gajeel smirked and chuckled. It was amusing that the ribbon he found of very little use was being kept there with much—_importance. _Although Levy had already quote-unquote confessed to him, he really couldn't get used to the thought and it amazed him when he sees the manifestation.

Gajeel took out the ribbon and laid it on the table; then, he took out his marker and carefully wrote on it.

* * *

How buddy-buddy are these guys? Gray pouted as he escaped from Erza and all her business talk while Gajeel entertained the fans. Unfortunately, Natsu left the bassist to be all lovey-dovey with Lucy. Somehow, it irritated Gray. It was unfair that he and Gajeel had to work while Natsu was off, pink hair and all, flirting.

The leader stomped toward Natsu and Lucy, preparing a speech. All of a sudden, he was made to turn around, face-to-face with a beautiful silver-haired maiden carrying a bouquet.

"Gray..." the woman smiled, behind her her boyfriend who looked like he was in pain. She handed Gray the bouquet. "Congratulations, I was really moved by your singing. You've grown."

"Thanks," he said and led Mira to the backstage, away from the watchful eyes and playful cameras of the paparazzi. When they got there, Fried was kind enough to give them some privacy. "Can't believe you're here. I thought you had papers to sign." Even from the backstage, he could see the Na-Lu skinship and it irked him.

"Oh, I got out to watch your performance," she said, "Lisanna wanted to see it, too..."

"Th-That's nice of you..." That Natsu is such a flirt, preying on girl's like Lucy.

Mira's giggle brought Gray back to the conversation. "I'm glad you're finally becoming a man."

"What?" Gray asked, not sure what Mira had said. Hopefully, he didn't disrespect her or anything like that. "Sorry, I was-"

"Don't worry about it... If I saw the person I like being smothered by another, I'd probably be distracted, too."

The idol squinted his eyes at Mira, a smirk on his face, "You're mistaken. I don't like Lucy that way."

"Oh, you're so cute, Gray," Mira said, patting him on the head and making him blush, "But I think I'd know love when I see it."

"But this really isn't-!"

Mira pulled Gray into a hug suddenly and the idol smiled. "Gray, I know you better than you think."

"Yeah, I at least know that," he said and pulled away. He turned to look at Natsu and Lucy again but the blond was following after Jellal. The man seemed to be exiting the auditorium by the backstage exit.

Wait, he suddenly remembered, That's where Erza is! Is he meeting here there?

Gray felt bad news for Lucy immediately. "Uh, Mira, I just remembered I left my stuff with Erza," he said. This is bad. "Excuse me."

The raven-haired singer followed after the blond, meeting after a few people and forcefully stopping by. He tiptoed to see where Lucy was and he saw her peeking through the door.

When Gray was finally able to 'get away' from the fans, he hurried to Lucy who looked really engrossed at whatever she was staring at. Curious, he, too, began to stare at the scene-Jellal and Erza making out.

That idiot! Gray cursed a few more times before finally pulling Lucy toward him at the moment when Erza and Jellal were about to kiss.

"Okay, now you're really something, aren't you?" he said to her, "You're the only one stupid enough to keep staring."

The blond looked up at him, still shocked.

"S-Senpai," she said, pushing him away, "You're here."

Gray looked at her, amused. He poked the blonde's forehead playfully. "Do you know what you're watching is rated M?"

The blond blushed at this notion. "I wasn't watching... I just... happened to pass by..."

"Liar," he said and smirked. "Don't ruin this night. It's too good to spend with a broken heart."

Lucy smiled, "You can only say that because the love of your life is here and gave you a hug."

"Hey, that's not even..." Gray said and dragged a hand down his face. Lucy had a habit of driving the conversation; it was like a talent already. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure," she said, "But this place is a bit crowded."

The singer thought for a bit. "I know a good and quiet place," he said, "Wanna take a ride in my bike?"

Lucy gladly smiled, then the two of them took the left backstage exit and rode off into the night.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I was planning to study a while ago… I even wrote it in the mirror so I'd be reminded whenever I look at it… Then I realized that I don't really look at myself in the mirror much… -_- I guess I'm not very feminine… *laughs*

So, what do you guys think? R & R!

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _


	18. Chapter 17

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I'm writing this and I have menstrual cramps. This is one of the pains of being a lady. -_-

**THE STORY SO FAR: **The Christmas Showcase was a success and Fairy Tail's popularity is just _booming_. But with the show over, the backstage becomes mobbed by fans! It seems that everyone has their own taste of _after-show happiness_ but wait! What's this? Lucy and Gray are going away together?

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER SEVENTEEN-**_  
__Where you won't be able to tell fireflies apart from city lights._

Lucy held her breath as she stared at the evening landscape laid out in front of her. It was a dark night with a very huge moon brightly illuminated in pale yellow. She was standing on a dangerously high cliff overlooking the city, behind and all around her, _trees_… and a rising idol-superstar and his vintage motorbike.

"This place _hasn't changed one bit_!" she exclaimed, her smiling stretching from ear-to-ear. The wind there was very gentle in that high-up place. Lucy ran excitedly around the old, run-down watch tower at the center then stopped to watch the city lights again. She held her breath as her grip on the fence to keep her from falling as she leaned forward.

"'_Hasn't changed'_?" Gray said, standing beside her. "You've been here before?"

The blond nodded, her smile still not fading as she looked at him. "My mother used to take me here during her free time and we'd go up this watch tower and have a picnic." Lucy glanced to the lights below them again, as if totally mesmerized by them. "Those sure were the days."

"_I _used to come up here when I was stressed during my trainee days," the brunette said, "But this is the first time I'm here again since we started to practice for our debut about five months ago."

"Things are a bit different now, huh?" Lucy said, "I mean, the last time I was here, I was seven and this watch tower was still in a pretty good shape."

"You haven't seen your mom since then?" Gray asked.

Lucy fell silent and her smile became smaller. She turned her back and leaned on the fence to just look up at the stars. "She's been dead since then—"

"I'm _so sorry_," Gray interrupted, feeling like he's said something completely inappropriate, "I didn't know."

"That's okay…" Lucy said and smiled to him, "I know she's in a better place."

"You know, I don't have a mother, either…" the blond looked at Gray who was now smirking with her, "And my dad's with her."

"I'm sorry," Lucy said, "What happened to them?"

"A fire killed most of the people in our village. A woman named Ul raised me and treated me as her own since then."

"So… She's like your _adoptive mother _now…?"

"Yeah… Something like that…"

Lucy let out a small, short laugh. "We're not really different, are we?"

"Really? How could you say that?" Gray asked, amused by the blonde's suggestion.

"Well, for starters, we're both singers," she said. Then she turned to look at him and leaned on her side, "Then, we're both orphans, share a favorite place, and we both have a case of unrequited love."

Gray laughed. "I guess we _do _share some common denominators," he said. "Hey, can I ask a question?"

"It depends," Lucy said.

"How are you and Jellal related?"

"Oh, _that_," Lucy said and giggled. She sat down on the ground and Gray followed her. _This is going to be a long story, _he thought. "His parents and my mom were in broadway together. They travelled a lot and sang _everywhere _in the world. Because of that, whenever they leave and my dad goes out for business, the two of us would be left in the care of maids and butlers in our resthouse. We were kids then but we didn't play any games normal kids do. Instead, we sing and play instruments my mom keeps. He's already like a big brother to me."

"That's like _incest_, then…" the male singer joked.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Gray," Lucy said sarcastically but laughed all the same. "Okay, your turn. What about Mira do you like?"

The boy looked up sheepishly and groaned with a smile on his face. "Oh, _man_! Not that! It's so… _feminine_!"

"C'mon! Since we're asking things about each other now anyway…"

"Well…" Gray breathed in deeply and was immediately in deep thought, "I guess it's because she was always there for me ever since I met her. She knows things about me that even _I_ don't. She knows when I'm stressed or tired… or when I just need someone to talk to…"

"Like… a _mom_?"

Gray nodded, "Yeah… Like a mom…"

"_In-cest_!" Lucy teased and did a teasing dance, making Gray laugh.

"Okay, your turn… _And you can totally choose not to answer this one_," Gray looked at the blond with compassion in his eyes, "How… did your mother die?"

The blond gulped but answered anyway, "Ten years ago on my birthday, when she and Jellal-senpai's parents were on a broadway tour, the plane they were in was caught in a storm. It crashed and nobody survived… my mother's body wasn't even found…"

"Oh…" Gray exclaimed silently, "I think I've heard of that crash before. It was all over the news at that time because some royal-blood was also there, right?"

"Yeah… But my mother and Jellal-senpai's parents were completely blocked from view…" she said, "They were famous in the broadway world but nobody really lives there…"

Lucy laughed and Gray laughed with her. "But you know, I believe that when people die, they become _stars_."

"I believe in that, too!" Lucy squealed excitedly. Gray laughed hard. "What?"

"I'm not used to being _buddy-buddy _with you… I'm only used to your insults and your harshness."

"Sorry…" Lucy said, "I just can't help it when I talk about my mom…"

"She's a really great person, isn't she?" He said and sat closer to her.

"Yeah… _Totally_," she said and stared into space. "I used to call her 'Queen of the Lights', you know? Because she really did love this place like she owned it."

"This place must really miss their queen, then," he said.

"Yeah, but… She's queen of the stars now…" Lucy said, "And that's way better than the city lights…"

The girl took out her wallet and out of it took an old, crumpled piece of paper. "I even wrote her a song…"

"Really?" Gray said, "Let's hear it…"

"Oh… But I'm in such a grand audience, Mr. Fullbuster," Lucy teased.

"Oh, don't be so starstruck or you'll fall in love with me," he said confidently and earned him a shove to the face. "I was _joking_."

Lucy rolled her eyes and started singing her song.

_Queen of the lights had a beautiful face_

_She's got gold strands for hair that shone like the sun's rays_

_She's got baby blue eyes that stared through your soul_

_And her apple red lips would smile at me so_

_Oh… She held me so tight that night_

_But she's gone… The Queen of_

_The lights below us flickered as she showed them to me_

_In the darkness they shone, they shone so brightly_

_She took one look at me and held me tight_

_And told me someday I'll be shining like that_

_Oh… I still hear her voice loud and clear_

_But she's gone…_

Lucy stopped when she felt that her eyes were already watering. "That's—" she sniffed and turned to Gray with an enthusiastic smile, "All I've written… I haven't really finished it…"

Her male companion ruffled her golden locks and scoffed, "That's because you're an _amateur_." He took the paper and read them again and again. The warmth was very sweet and at that time, he saw another side of Lucy; not Lucy the singer, not Lucy the unloved lover… It was Lucy, the _daughter_.

_No one is like you_

_You're my one-in-a-million find_

Gray jumped when he heard his ringing tone and immediately took out his phone to answer it.

"_Gray?! Where are you?!_" It was Natsu, bewildered and, from what he could hear, _scared_. "All of us are in the company conference hall having an emergency meeting! Erza told me she couldn't reach you and that she'd skin me alive if I can't find you!"

"Geez, don't yell so loud, Natsu," Gray complained and held the phone farther from his ear. "I can hear you…"

"I'm not kidding, Gray!" It was Erza this time and the way she spoke brought him goosebumps. "There are foreigners here and Master won't be happy if you don't get your ass here _now_!"

"Yeah, yeah," he replied courageously. "Give me thirty minutes."

"Get here in _fifteen_!" she ordered.

"It's a traffic, Erza—!"

"Don't give me that! I know you brought your bike so don't make excuses!"

"But—!"

"_Fifteen_. _Minutes_," she repeated and hung up, leaving Gray almost wanting to fly to their office.

"We're going home, aren't we?" Lucy said, fighting back a smile.

"Sorry I can't take you to dinner right now," Gray said and stood up immediately. He and Lucy walked hurriedly to his bike and he grabbed the helmet and tossed it to her. "You don't know how _horrible_ Erza can be. She's dead serious and I don't want to die young."

Lucy laughed as she jumped behind Gray on his bike. "I heard everything," she said, "And I probably have food back at my house so you don't have to worry."

* * *

"Lucy-samaaaa!" cried an orange-haired man. He was wearing tinted shades with his long-sleeved coat and slacks as he approached Gray and Lucy with much… _vigor_.

"Geez, Loki…" said Lucy. She handed Gray his helmet back. "What's with that greeting?"

"We tried to look for you after your showcase and we couldn't find you! You don't know how worried I was and now you're with a _man_!"

"Stop it, Loki… _Seriously_…" Lucy turned back to Gray. "Sorry about that, senpai. This is my friend slash bodyguard, Loki."

The man, Loki, suddenly gained much composure and greeted Gray coolly, "A pleasure to meet you. You're Gray Fullbuster, aren't you?"

"Yeah… I never thought Lucy had roommates…" he said and turned to the girl.

"He's more of a next-door neighbour," Lucy said. "Hey, Loki, is there any food for me?"

"Oh, I'll get Virgo to prepare it for you immediately," he said and ran back to the condo in a cartoon-like manner.

"Well, _he's_ a strange character," Gray said.

"He used to be my mom's but now that she's gone, he's _transferred _to me…" she explained, "I guess I'm thankful because they take care of me when I fail to take care of myself."

"He lives right next door to you?"

Lucy nodded. "Well, I guess I'll be going back up now?"

"Yeah," he replied, "I need to hurry, myself."

"Bye—_Oh, wait_!"

"What?"

The blond took her phone from her bag and gave it to him. "I remembered I didn't have your number."

"Oh…" Gray took the phone immediately and did some typing before he returned it to her, "Text me so I can register your number on my phone."

"Yeah, sure…"

"Don't sell it to people, okay?" he joked and Lucy only stuck her tongue out at him as he started the motorcycle's engine.

Gray was feeling extremely light that night. Maybe it was because he was able to get back to his favorite spot? Maybe. Right now, all he could think of was that he was going to have Lucy's number—and he didn't even have to ask her for it.

* * *

"Ah, there he is!" Makarov exclaimed as soon as Gray walked through the doors. There were about ten people there: Natsu, Gajeel, Erza, Makarov, Laxus, and some foreign guys in suits. "Gentlemen, this is the leader and lead singer, Gray Fullbuster."

Gray nodded and shook some huge hands before he could sit down. "What's happening?" he whispered to Natsu.

"They're going to produce our upcoming album abroad," Natsu explained, "If things go well, we might be able to perform there."

"You heard the song, right?" Makarov said to the other men, "Do you think it'll be welcomed in your countries?"

"We think they'll do well," one man said, "But we can't release your album because you're missing one song."

"You mean, we can't just release and album with just nine songs?" Laxus asked, "We've released albums with only six."

"Yes, but for the people to _really _get a glimpse of their talents and versatility, we should give them a wide range of songs to choose from." The man with ginger hair explained and looked at the list of songs in front of him.

"Yes…" said another man with gray hair, "And most of your songs are upbeat and dance songs. Only 'Storm Song' and your remake of 'Go the Distance' are mellow songs. Can you make another mellow song to add to this?"

"Well… It's on such short notice…" Makarov said and was pulled into deep thought, "I don't think—"

"We _can,_" Gray said enthusiastically. "I have one prepared."

"You do?!" Natsu exclaimed and all eyes were on Gray.

"Yeah… But will it be okay if it's sort of a tribute-to-mothers song?"

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **It's a bit early for Mother's Day but I guess I can write a Mother's Day Chapter early. *laughs* Did you guys miss me? :P

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:**

**High Enchanter, fairytaillover416, Cesia14, Rose Fang, violetchick4ever, , xXEm-ChanXx, , Animaniac11, BlackAngelJade, horsejumper88, ImaginationOfMe, AllSaidAndDone, JazzC20, AoiFLAME, Celestial-Sky, dianaloveanime, BlackPoppy.0, Thrish-neko: **Thank you for your favourites and follows. I hope that you would enjoy this fanfic, no matter how long it may be. I seem to be writing long fanfics. Maybe I should write mini-series instead of long ones like this? *laughs*

**Le' CarolinnaXannej421, IloveCelestialIce, natpereira, jd (guest: 12/17/2012), fairytaillover416, kaileenholic, AmuletDragonSlayerFairy, 1fairytaillover, LoveIsARose, ReianaA, violetchick4ever, BTR (guest: 12/26/2012), FallingStar93, jd (*guest: 12/26/2012), teacupcococake, Mini-Silver, AngelXReaper, proud to be foreveralone, Emil C, dianaloveanime, BlackPoppy.0, phantomhive19, moocow4me: **Oh my GOSH! You guys are really fast on the reviews. Thank you! You truly flatter me with your kind words. I don't mind your suggestions either so _thank you so much_!

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love **__and __**Good Taste**__. _


	19. Chapter 18

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **It took me a while to write another chappie because I was writing my half of _**The Last Celestial Mage **_and I also wrote a new GraLu one-shot, **Massage?**. So I'd appreciate it if you guys would forgive me for being gone for what, a week? So, without further adieu, **STARSTRUCK CHAPTER EIGHTEEN! **

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER EIGHTEEN-**_  
__Where two heads are better than one… or not._

It was drizzling that Saturday morning and Gray Fullbuster woke up late. It was a good thing he didn't have a schedule because he was allowed to have the day off. Meanwhile, Natsu was busy being the guest DJ on a radio station and Gajeel went to have a solo photoshoot for a motorcycle ad.

Yawning, Gray picked up their album and put it on the player. Then, he raided the kitchen to get some food. Hopefully, their house-help had left him some.

On his way to the fridge, he found a note that was addressed to him. It said: _Gray, master wants to hear the song tonight. Will you hurry up with it? : ) –Natsu_.

"Oh, _right_!" Gray remembered. He was supposed to call Lucy about the copyright of the song but kept forgetting for the past three days. So, one hand on the orange juice carton and the other dialling on his phone, Gray called Lucy.

"Hello, senpai?" Lucy croaked, "What's up?"

"Hey, good morning," Gray said. The way her voice sounded gave him a clue that she did _not _want to be called right now. "Did I wake you?"

"_What do you think_?" Lucy said sternly, but a hidden laugh was evident in her voice.

"Sorry about that," he apologized and gave himself a mental scolding. "Listen, remember your song? The one about your mom?"

"Yeah… What about it?" Lucy croaked some more and yawned.

"Can we use it for an extra track on our upcoming album?"

"_What_?! You're _joking_, right?" she yelled, perplexed and obviously awake now. Gray couldn't figure out, though, if she was happy or mad, "_That'd be so _cool!"

"_Really_? We can use it?" Gray said, relieved that Lucy was nice, after all. "You're serious?"

"Well, _yeah_!" she confirmed, "_Anyone _would die to have their song in an album!"

"So it's all good? We can use your song?" Gray said, "Don't worry because I'll definitely give you credit for it."

"Thanks, senpai," she said, excitement unmistakably in her voice. "And let me be the first to hear it when it's finished, okay?"

"Thanks, you can count on that." Lucy hung up, Gray did, too. Immediately, he went to look for a pen, some paper and sat in front of the keyboard with a guitar in hand.

After reading and re-reading the lyrics of the song, Gray immediately wrote down on a separate piece of paper. His handwriting, a scruffy and tangled mess of letters, was all over the paper, unorganized. Gray bit on the guitar pick and he played some chords on the keyboard. Then, he would grab the pen tucked safely behind his ear and write on the paper, before plucking the guitar strings with a melody harmonious to the chords he had played on the keyboard. After that, he would stop, ponder and the whole cycle would begin again.

_Nothing lasts forever_

_But the love she remembers so clear_

_And in her eyes, she sees the lights, they twinkle like the starry skies_—

Gray stopped and gave himself a shake. _This is supposed to be a mother's song, not a love song_! He scolded himself at the way he was changing Lucy's song. He hated himself for being so incapable of writing the song with the same feelings as Lucy. Although the song was developing quite well, it wasn't as powerful as the way it started—the way Lucy wrote it.

"Darn it," he said and re-read the whole song again. He was running out of ideas but the feelings were welling up inside of him. He just couldn't find the right words.

Finally, he grabbed his phone again and dialled Lucy's number. The first time, she didn't pick up. The second, nothing. By the third time, Lucy finally picked up after the seventh ring.

"Senpai? What's up now?" she asked.

"Sorry for being disturbing you but I need some help about the song," he admitted in a small, meek voice. "Can you… _help me_?"

"Uh, yeah… _Sure_, I guess," Lucy's voice was doubtful.

"Thanks… You just saved my ass," Gray chuckled and he saw the pride he had been holding on to go down the drain. "Where should we meet up?"

"It's drizzling a bit and I don't want to go outside…" Lucy said, and Gray heard the sound of a curtain being dragged on the pole. "Would you mind if we just meet up here at my place?"

"Oh…" Gray exclaimed, "No… Not at all… Do you have a keyboard there?"

"I have an upright piano," Lucy said.

"Great… It's save me the effort of having to bring one," the brunette chuckled, "I'll be right over in twenty minutes."

"Room number 316, fifth floor," she said as a farewell and hung up.

* * *

"Woah… _Nice place_," Gray said in bated-breath as he surveyed Lucy's condo unit like a kid. He hung his wet coat on the coat hanger.

"Thanks…" Lucy said, leading the way to the cream-colored living room where the upright piano was. "I don't do the chores here, though…"

"Right. Rich kids have maids," Gray commented and swiped a finger across the dustless furniture. "That Loki guy?"

"Oh, no…" Lucy denied sat in front of the piano, opening the cover, "Virgo, Loki's cousin. She takes care of all the chores. Loki serves, um… _security _purposes…"

Gray shrugged and took the guitar he brought out of its case. After, he took the paper he was scribbling on awhile ago and put it on the piano in front of Lucy.

"I'm not as good as Levy with the piano," Lucy reminded and flexed her fingers. She read what Gray had written so far and tried playing it according to the chords written there. "It sounds nice…"

Gray started plucking the guitar as Lucy played the chords. "I was thinking that this should be how it sounds like…"

"The song stops here," Lucy said and noticed the unfinished song, "Is this the chorus already?"

The brunette nodded and chuckled. "You could call it writer's block, I guess."

"_And in her eyes, she sees the lights; they twinkle like the starry skies_…" Lucy stopped to think about the song's continuation, "What about, '_She rules this kingdom, the Queen of the lights_'?"

Gray thought for a moment and played on the guitar and sang the words Lucy had just said, "Yeah… That could do…"

"But… Why does it say here, '_the love she remembers so clear_'? Shouldn't it be '_I_'?"

"Yeah… Uhm… It's something I thought of…" Gray sheepishly smiled. "Wanna hear how it's going to sound like? Just play and sing the verse and I'll sing the chorus and the end part I've been thinking of."

"Uhm… Yeah, sure, I guess…" Lucy agreed and started playing. So did Gray.

_Queen of the lights had a beautiful face_

_She's got gold strands for hair that shone like the sun's rays_

_She's got baby blue eyes that stared through your soul_

_And her apple red lips would smile at me so_

_So far so good, _Gray thought. Just as he suspected, he needed a female to sing the first part of the song to get the feel he wanted. But if that were to happen, the song would become a semi-love song. He cocked his head sideways and Lucy continued to sing with as much emotion as before.

_Oh… I still hear her voice loud and clear_

_But she's gone…_

Gray nodded and started to sing the chorus:

_Nothing lasts forever_

_But the love she remembers so clear_

_And in her eyes, she sees the lights, they twinkle like the starry skies_

_She rules this kingdom, the Queen of the Lights_

The brunette watched as Lucy stopped playing to just close her eyes and listen to him singing. His heart thumped steadily and a burning sensation started, travelling from his chest to his cheeks, all the way up to his ears. He sang an impromptu second verse:

_The angels of heaven looked down on the earth_

_Gave Queen of the Lights the wings she deserved_

_Now she rose up to heaven to the starry skies_

_And left the girl she loved with tears in her eyes_

"_S-Senpai_!" Lucy exclaimed in an inward breath.

Gray only shrugged. "So… What do you think we should do after that? Any ideas?"

The blonde smiled at him and thought for a moment. Then, she played some chords on her instrument;

_Oh… But the kingdom lights continued to shine_

_And now, alone—_

Lucy stopped, out of ideas. She looked at Gray who smirked at her with what she must have mistaken as loving eyes. He played a different set of chords now, heading to the coda:

_Nothing lasts forever_

_But her love for you remains so clear_

_But you're not alone, please be strong, Princess look into my eyes_

_She still rules this kingdom, she's Queen of the Lights_

The blonde answered immediately, almost laughing at this song-versation. It was a different kind of fun and she wondered whether or not this song was _really _going to get into an album. She doubted that now, but she laughed the thought away:

_Oh… I love the look in her eyes_

_But now she's gone… Queen of—_

Before she could finish, Gray interrupted, a wide smile on his face as if he'd had a eureka moment.

_Queen of the lights, I hope you don't mind_

_If your daughter, your princess, your one and only child_

_Were to take your place in the land, the lights_

_And maybe, possibly, inside my heart_—

Lucy let out a loud laugh. "_Seriously_? Isn't this song a bit messed up?"

The brunette laughed in reply. "You're right. Do you want to change it?"

"Yes, _definitely_," Lucy said. She took the paper and the pen and started writing. "Well? Should we do it seriously now?"

"Yeah…" Gray smiled, put the guitar down and sat beside the blonde on the small chair in front of the piano. "But I _still _think my idea was pretty good."

Lucy nodded. "If it were a love song, yeah. But for a mother's tribute song—_bad move_."

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Somehow... This chapter... I... :/

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:**

_Favorites and Follows__**: Lillyviolet, jrenee13579, LucyEucliffe-I-LUV-U, o.o AnimeXLuver v.v, inumeichia08, OreoCookie690, xXxIvory-HeartxXx, Angelfish546, Gembell, NaruSakuforeverxoxo**_

_Reviews: __**AngelXReaper, WolfieANNE, fairytaillover416, LoveIsARose, ReianaA, Grayluisawesome, Mini-Silver, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, 1fairytaillover, Lillian Jade, fairytale lover (Guest), horsejumper88, natpereira, FallingStar93, jd (Guest), teacupcococake, dianaloveanime, proud to be foreveralone, Hotoku (guest: 01/13/2013)**_

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_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**__. _


	20. Chapter 19

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER NINETEEN-**_  
__Where Lucy feels a chill in her spine._

_Queen of the lights had a beautiful face_

_She's got gold strands for hair that shone like the sun's rays_

_She's got baby blue eyes that stared through your soul_

_And her apple red lips would smile at me so_

_Oh… She held me so tight that night_

_But she's gone… The Queen of_

_The lights below us flickered as she showed them to me_

_In the darkness they shone, they shone so brightly_

_She took one look at me and held me tight_

_And told me someday I'll be shining like that_

_Oh… I still hear her voice loud and clear_

_But now she's gone…_

_Nothing lasts forever_

_But the love I remember so clear_

_And in her eyes, I see the lights, they twinkle like the starry skies_

_She rules this kingdom, the Queen of the Lights_

_The angels of heaven looked down on the earth_

_Gave Queen of the Lights the wings she deserved_

_Now she rose up to heaven to the starry skies_

_And left me alone with tears in my eyes_

_Oh… But the kingdom lights continued to shine_

_But I know_

_Nothing lasts forever_

_But her love for me remains so clear_

_And in the night I see the lights, and remember what she told me_

_Forever she loves me, Queen of the lights_

_And the earth will fall and the lights will dim_

_We die and live, we die again_

_And in this life, her words are my guide_

_She's Queen of the lights, she's Queen of my life_

_Queen of the lights had a beautiful face_

_She looked down on me, had a smile on her face_

Gray breathed out slowly as the song ended. The whole time he had been singing, he had his eyes closed so as not to distract himself with whatever the reactions of the foreign producers were. It wasn't because he wasn't confident—he knew pretty much that he and Lucy had done a great job at re-writing the song. It was because he had solely been thinking about his departed mother and dedicated each and every lyric to her.

The music faded out; Gray opened his eyes and took off the headphones he was wearing. He slowly lifted his head to see the reactions of the listeners, Makarov, Laxus, Erza, his bandmates, the foreigners and the studio manager, through the wide glass window.

To Gray's surprise, the foreigners' eyebrows were arched up, eyes wide open and mouth gaping slightly. Makarov was giving him an approving nod and Erza was smiling ear-to-ear. Laxus smirked mockingly with Gajeel and Natsu was staring at him, nose runny and eyes trying to fight back fat teardrops.

Gray sighed, relieved. Thankfully, the way they looked gave him an idea that they somehow liked it.

"The song was very mysterious," said one foreigner with the thick gray moustache. "Who was he dedicating it to? A lover? A mother? It's very enigmatic and yet… dramatic."

"I agree," said the other, nodding, "The acoustic genre is also very different from your usual songs. I can't wait to hear how the other two sing to it!"

"And what's more," said the fat producer with pale golden hair, putting his hands on Gray's shoulders, "You give the song real life, boy. You almost made me cry..."

"Yes, I think I must go and call my mother now," joked one and they laughed.

"The... The song isn't mine alone," Gray raised up. "I had help from a choirmate."

"That's okay," Makarov said, "We'll make sure to acknowledge that person in your album.

"_Which_," the short, old man turned to the producers behind him, "You may now give blessing to produce?"

All of them nodded and the businessmen shook hands, and one by one exited the room.

"You had _help_?" asked Gajeel, smirking, "_That's_ new."

"The song was originally Lucy's... It was for her mother," Gray explained. He took a water bottle from his small backpack and drank, "But it was incomplete so I helped finish it."

"I have to call my mom..." Natsu said in between childish sobs.

"You sure?" Gajeel turned to the Salamander and crossed his arms, "She might bring _that_ up again."

Natsu smiled widely and assured him. "Don't worry. I'm only going to ask them how they are."

The pink-headed drummer excused himself and also exited the room.

"Well, now we have to shoot an MV for Storm Song," Erza announced.

"_Storm Song_? They chose Storm Song?" Gray asked, "I thought it was going to be one of our dance mix tracks."

"Master said he wanted you to be flexible in taking roles," Erza said. "For the Storm Song MV, you'll be less mature and more 'boy-next-door' lovable so try practicing that..._ Especially you_, Gajeel."

Gajeel rolled his eyes as Erza made her exit. "I'm a pretty good actor, you know?" Gajeel scoffed, then turned to Gray who was on the phone, "You're not leaving yet?"

Gray shook his head and covered the phone's receiver with one hand, "It's Ur. I'll be right down."

* * *

Sunday morning, Makarov had called for a meeting with Fairy Tail and concerned individuals about their new MV. They were gathered together in one long table with files in front of them, the projector flashing some words and pictures on the white wall.

Cana, Fairy Tail's resident stylist, raised a hand. "Should we make an MV in a high school setting?" she suggested, "It'll give them a fresh look since their first MV was a dance track."

Makarov thought a bit. "Maybe... What do you think, _Gray_?"

The raven-haired leader could hear nothing. He was too preoccupied texting his adoptive mother who seemed to be really stressed about the hospital she managed in Europe. Gray couldn't care less, though. He had no interest in such matters. But he had to entertain her to keep her from calling him directly.

"_Gray_!" Makarov said, flicking a small ball of paper on the singer's forehead.

Gray looked up, surprised, then coughed. "S-Sounds good."

"Should we get a female lead for the MV?" Cana suggested. "Gray could be the male lead."

"That's good, too," Erza nodded. "What about Mirajane? She'll still be here until next week, maybe we can ask her to do it for us."

"But Mira isn't in high school anymore," Natsu pointed out, "She'll look more like Gray's older sister than a lover, wouldn't she?"

Cana looked at Natsu, Gray frowned at him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Cana said, searching for something in her laptop. "I think I just might have the girl we're looking for..."

Natsu's ears perked up and immediately thought of a blonde named Lucy. "Actually, I had a person in mind—"

"_Ah_! Here we go!" Cana said and connected her small laptop to the projector. It flashed a petite girl with blue hair that curled at the very end all around her neck. "Her name is _Juvia Loxar_ and she's been in an MV before which I also worked on."

Makarov thought for a while. "You know her, right, Gajeel?"

The bassist nodded and crossed his arms. "We used to be in a band together."

"Then it'll be easier to negotiate with her," Makarov nodded. "Cana, contact her at once and get her approval." Then, he turned to Laxus, "Laxus, get your team ready to film as early as this week. Get the storyboard and the equipment ready."

Finally, Makarov turned to Gray, "Contact that person who owns your song and tell her she needs to sign a contract to give us all rights to the song as long as we credit her for her contribution."

Gray nodded and texted Lucy immediately. Gajeel pouted at the thought of having to interact with Juvia again. Natsu, on the other hand, only pouted as he rested his head on his arms that were on the table.

_I still think Lucy should've gotten the female lead._

* * *

Lucy walked nervously and pressed the button with the number 14 on the elevator. She had woken up to Gray's text telling her to go to their company building immediately to sign a contract about the song she co-wrote with Gray. It was an honor, of course, and she willingly, as well as anxiously, hurried there.

Soon, the elevator had reached the 14th floor and the door opened. Waiting outside the elevator door was Natsu, a huge smile on his face.

"_Hey, Natsu_!" Lucy greeted as she got out of the elevator. She and Natsu immediately started walking.

"You know, I considered asking the master to give you the main female lead at our new MV," he said, downcast.

"_What_?" Lucy flushed, elated. "W-Why?"

"I just thought you fit the role," he replied, "But they chose another girl... And it's a girl we know, too."

"Really? _Who_?" Lucy asked.

Natsu opened the door that led to a huge conference room. Its walls were colored cream and mint green, the tinted window showed the city view it overlooked outside. There were bamboo-like plants everywhere, a flat screen to the left, a projector hung at the center in front of the chandelier. At the center of the room was a long, rectangular table, the kind where royal families ate on in TV's. All around it sat people most of whom Lucy didn't know.

She did, though, recognize Gajeel, Gray, their scarlet-haired manager who was also Jellal's lover, and the blue-haired girl beside Gray.

"_Juvia_!" Lucy exclaimed, surprised. However, Juvia was more surprised than she was, even disappointed.

"Lucy-san..." she expressed.

A small man, barely reaching Lucy's thighs, appeared in front of the blonde. Surprised, she stepped back, looking at the man while holding her breath.

"_He-Hello, sir_," Lucy greeted.

"Hey," the old man said, "So you're the original composer of the song Gray sang?"

"_Co_-composer," Lucy corrected. The old man led her to a seat beside Gray, next to Natsu. In front of her was a folder with a legal document in it.

"If you sign the contract, then you transfer all rights of the song to us," Makarov told her, "But of course, you'll still be credited as a song writer in the album."

"Oh, okay," Lucy said and read the paper. As she read it, the figure $10 000 written on it caught her attention. "What is... this money for?"

"That's a talent fee from the company," Natsu explained and smiled at her widely. "It's one of the perks of your hard work."

"_Thank you_!" Lucy flushed and grabbed the fountain pen Makarov handed to her. She immediately signed her name on the dotted line at the bottom.

"Is Lucy-san also appearing in the MV?" Juvia asked suddenly and leaned over to Lucy, very closely to Gray.

"_No_!" Lucy answered, looking at Natsu. "Right?"

Natsu looked at the master. "Well, we already decided on Juvia," the old man explained, "But _should_ you be incapable, we can always look for a replacement."

"_Juvia will do it_!" the blue-haired girl announced boldly, "Juvia _will not_ disappoint you!"

The girl looked at Lucy intently, as if going for a kill. Lucy could only sweat-drop and sigh. Juvia had always been indifferent to her and she was fine with that. But to have her suddenly become cold was unnerving. Trying to be civil, Lucy pretended to not notice a thing.

It wasn't long before they were dismissed and Lucy was given her cheque. Then, the teens, Gray, Lucy, Juvia, Gajeel and Natsu headed out of the building.

The girl looked at her cheque with pride. She was used to that amount, considering her social status, but it was the first amount she'd received for her own hard work.

"_Close your mouth or you'll drool all over the cheque_," Gray said and force-closing her mouth. Lucy pulled her head back and glared at him.

"Shut up, I'm _so_ not drooling," she said, "And I'm sorry if I'm not used to receiving cheques from huge entertainment companies like _yourself_."

"That's okay," Gray said, "Maybe you'll come to work for our company..."

"_No way_," she said, "I'm going to be a broadway singer _no matter what_... I'll _never_ work in your field."

"_Never say never_," Gray said smugly.

"Hey _Gray_, _Lucy_, we're all going to eat with Juvia. You comin'?" Natsu said, noticing that Gray was going to the parking lot and Lucy was following him.

"Oh, I have school work," pouted Lucy. "And I have food at the house already."

"I'm sleepy. I'll get some shut-eye for now," Gray said. Then, he turned to Lucy, "Want me to take you home?"

"You won't mind?" the girl beamed.

"Nah... It's on the way anyway."

"_Thanks_!" she squealed. Suddenly, a chill ran down Lucy's spine and she unconsciously looked behind her. Juvia was glaring at her, emitting the same killing-intent as before.

_Why does she do that? What did I do?_

The girl, as she did before, tried to pass it off as nothing and walked out to the parking lot with Gray.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I have an announcement. I _may _be updating once a week from now on. Seeing that I have a lot on my hands but still want to update no matter what. I hope one week doesn't kill you so badly. I _will _try to update in between dates whenever I can but once a week is the safest I can go.

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:**

_Favorites and Follows__**: Captain Fallout, cookiedough.x3, XxSummerIcexX, .kitten, Nocturne Huntress, AlexxCacela, pucchan23, chandelle-snow, Hotoku, ROBOTUNICORNZ**_

_Reviews: __**AngelXReaper, gralu4ever, WolfieANNE, ReianaA, AmuletDragonSlayerFairy, 1fairytaillover, Lillyviolet, LucyEucliffe-I-LUV-U, FallingStar93 , proud to be foreveralone, cookiedough.x3, xXxMusicNCookiesxXx, Lillian Jade, horsejumper88, fairytaillover416, moocow4me, jd (guest:01/15/2013) , CelestialSlayer, BlackPoppy.0, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, dianaloveanime, Hotoku**_**72384291**

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**__. _


	21. Chapter 20

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **So, I've just joined the Flag Football team… And I am getting _cramps_ and _bruises _and _slight injuries to my pride_. *laughs* NO, I am not a very sporty girl so forgive me for not-being agile and for having these _cute _baby fats that get in the way of my play. But I love the game… Can't hate it…

**PS: **Wow, twenty chapters down… How many chapters should I write? 50? _**100**_? *laughs* I guess this is a poll…

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-**_  
__Where the chill just gets worse for Lucy._

Lucy might have had the scariest nightmare of all; she, Natsu and Gray were performing on stage when all of a sudden, Juvia comes up to her and glares at her the way ghosts do on TV. She remembered Juvia tying her up and putting her in a cauldron of boiling soup. When the blonde woke up, she was in _cold sweat _and yet she was laughing at her strange dream.

The blonde stood up, on her way to prepare for school, but stopped to stare at the calendar. There was a date there which was a week from now and it had a big, red circle around it. Upon seeing it, Lucy half-smiled. She had made plans for that certain day; the first of which involved visiting her mother's make-shift grave near the watchtower. Since they really didn't get a body, she and her father buried her possessions there and the girl had been visiting that 'grave' since on the same day each year.

She had only realized she was half-crying when a knock on her door shook her from her trance. The knocking was an incessant yet surprisingly gentle one, full of excitement, and Lucy heaved a sigh before she opened the door and walked down the stairs in her pajamas to open it. Only _one _person knocks like that: _Levy_.

"Wait a minute, I'm coming!" the blonde called out and hurried to the door. When she opened it the sight of the blue-haired pianist greeted her, a yellow bandana around her head and a lot of portfolios in her hand. Levy was not wearing the school uniform as one would expect a student to wear on a Monday morning. On the other hand, Levy was wearing casual clothing.

"_Lucy-chan_!" Levy said, trying to fight back a smile.

"Yes?" Lucy said, smiling, "What is it?"

"Did I wake you? _Oh, I'm so sorry_!" Levy said, letting herself in. She was talking insanely fast and Lucy giggled as she closed the door behind her.

"I was just getting ready for school," the blonde explained, "But I see _you _haven't…"

"Oh, _Lucy-chan_, the most _exciting _news came to me this morning!" Levy said, her eyes practically sparkling.

"What is it?" Lucy said, sweat-dropping as Levy took her hand and squeezed it.

"Natsu-san texted me and said they wanted _me _to play the song for their MV!" Levy squealed, "Can you believe it? _Me_!"

"That's _great_, Levy!" Lucy said, truly happy for her friend, "But… I _still _don't get _why _this couldn't have waited until we got to class."

The blonde laughed and the other girl shyly blushed, "But I wanted to ask you a _favor._"

One of Lucy's eyebrows arched up, "And that would be—?"

"Well, I have to be there at the MV shooting and… I didn't want to be alone… And things would be kind of awkward…" Levy mumbled the only sentences she could actually say in her bashful state, "The thing is… Will you come and skip class with me?"

The blonde's ears perked up; the invitation was… _inviting_. Skipping class to witness an MV shooting was Levy's craziest idea yet—_Levy,_ the class model and perfect paragon of a student.

_Then _she remembered Gajeel and his effect on her. Lucy looked at her friend suspiciously. "Are you and Gajeel-san in a relationship I don't know anything about?"

"_What_?!" Levy exclaimed, almost dropping the portfolios she was carrying. Her ears turned beet-red immediately and she looked as she had just been petrified; yet, she had a sheepish smile that Lucy was only too keen to notice. "_Of course_, we're not!"

"Fine, fine," Lucy said and turned around, "Wait here while I get ready…"

* * *

The two girls walked hand-in-hand, staring and pointing at every curious thing they saw. They whispered, giggled and even stood in awe as they strode around the school grounds where Fairy Tail was shooting their MV. It was a private school around their neighbourhood where the students wore cream-colored uniforms and dark blue skirts and pants. It was a completely different feel from their poo-colored uniforms in their poor public school. The two girls talked about how they were supposed to have been studying there instead of the public school, considering their financial capabilities. All of a sudden, a woman with long scarlet hair stood in front of them, making them stop in their tracks.

"Hello, Levy… Lucy…" Erza greeted.

The two girls greeted at the same time, in awe of the woman's beauty. She led them to a huge closed tent where people ran around screaming names of make-up and even names of the staff.

"Can I get more concealer here?" said one when Erza opened the tent entrance revealing Gray, Natsu, Gajeel and Juvia, their heads raised and eyes closed. Although they were already beautiful creatures to begin with, the make-up was really _enhancing _their looks and Lucy gulped as she saw Juvia who looked _really good_.

"Lucy-chan! Levy-chan!" screamed an excited voice, that of the pink-haired Salamander. He could only look to smile at them for one moment and then he went back to face the make-up artist in front of him. Gray opened one eye to look at them, and he and Lucy locked gazes for a split-second, before he closed it back up again so the woman in front of him could put eye-liner over it.

"This is _amazing_!" Lucy said to Erza, "I haven't been in an MV shooting before…"

"I'm glad to see it amuses you," Erza said. "Levy, here is the music sheet. There's a piano in the school hall where you can practice."

Levy accepted the folder immediately and nodded. She, then, gestured to sit and studied it closely before playing in mid-air as she looked at it. Lucy was amused at how Gajeel kept making quick stares at her friend and she only laughed to herself.

"Lucy-san is here," said a voice that felt so cold that it made the hair at the back of Lucy's neck stand on end. She shivered, looked behind her and saw as Juvia's eyes shot daggers at her. For some reason, Juvia found her threatening, almost deadly. "Is Lucy-san here to replace Juvia?"

"_What_?" the blonde said, taken aback. Levy looked up, curious at what the two were talking about. "No, of course not. I'm here because Levy asked me to."

Juvia smiled to herself, content. "That's right," she said, "Because it is _Juvia _who will be in the MV with Gray-sama… _Not you_…"

"_Pardon_?" Lucy said, amused. _How did senpai get into this conversation_?

"Juvia will _not _let you take her role from her," Juvia announced to Lucy and turned around, "She will _not _let you take away Gray-sama…"

The blonde sweat-dropped, watching Juvia's retreating back walk away from her. Somehow, she could see why Juvia was so insistent on not-having Lucy there: she liked Gray and thought of Lucy as a love-rival. The blonde could only laugh because she couldn't see how her relationship with Gray was, by any means, romantic.

"You're here…" said a deep voice from behind Lucy. She turned around and both eyes widened, and her heart thumped in her chest.

Gray Fullbuster was looking at her, picture-perfect, with a flawless face that would put porcelain to shame. His hair was still the scruffy little mess Lucy remembered it but it was _sexier _than how she remembered it. His eyes, with the green-colored contacts in it, were very enticing as they drooped and stared at her. His lips stretched in a half-smirk; those lips that were glossy and were practically calling out to Lucy saying, 'Kiss me!'.

The girl gulped and flushed. Gray had always been good-looking but somehow, seeing him in the cream-colored uniform and make-up, Lucy was starstruck for the first time.

"Well?" Gray said, an eyebrow raised as he smiled smugly. Something told Lucy he had caught her considering him _hot_ and tempting. The girl stiffened and reminded herself that she was still a _minor _for a week more and should not be looking at a male like that.

"I'm here for Levy," Lucy said and looked away pompously. She crossed her arms and looked at him, "She asked me to come and support her."

Gray looked at Levy and smirked, "Doesn't look like she needs it, though."

"What?" Lucy also turned to look and saw that Gajeel was now standing beside the couch where Levy sat and kept making comments about how the song should be played. It irked the girl; she didn't really like Gajeel for Levy—Levy who was the most precious and fragile girl among Lucy's friends. "_Is he flirting with her_?"

Lucy was about to stomp toward the, when Gray took her by the arm to stop her. "Hey, they're working. Don't go and interrupt them."

"They are _so _not working," Lucy pouted. "Gajeel-san is _definitely _playing with Levy around that little finger of his."

"Hey, Gajeel is _not _a bad guy, okay?" Gray said in a stern voice, "I don't appreciate you talking like that about my… _friend._ Sure, he's ill-tempered and rude but he's a really okay person."

The blonde bit her lip, ashamed of her accusation. Gajeel _did _put up with her coldness toward him and even helps Levy now, so maybe that meant he was really a good person? "Sorry," Lucy apologized.

Gray heaved a sigh and ruffled her golden bangs, "Just be careful of that mouth of yours."

Lucy blushed and smacked Gray's hand with hers. Suddenly, she felt the same chill in her spine—only this time, it was so intense that her stomach jolted and did a summersault before it brought her goosebumps all over. She immediately looked behind Gray and saw Juvia watching them intently. The butterflies in her stomach now rose to the girl's chest, making her retch.

"Hey, you okay?" Gray asked, concerned as Lucy stepped back. He put a hand on her shoulder and Levy also called to her.

"Lucy-chan?" Levy asked, "Are you sick?"

"What? _No_," she denied and gulped, trying to pick herself up, "I just remembered I didn't eat breakfast. Don't worry about me…"

"You sure?" Gray said. He called one guy and told him to give Lucy his packed lunch, "We have a medic nearby—"

"I'm okay, _really_," Lucy said. "Um, I think you're about to start now…"

Juvia took this cue and stepped out in her cute little uniform that made her look like royalty. She, then, walked up to Gray and sheepishly said, "Gray-sama, Laxus-san is calling for all of us now."

"Oh…. Okay," Gray said. He patted Lucy's back and retreated outside the tent with Juvia and Gajeel.

"Are you sure you're okay, Lucy-chan?" Levy asked her. The man Gray called a while ago gave Lucy a small obento lunch which she took graciously. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," Lucy said, "Just hungry, I guess… C'mon, get back to what you were doing… I think I'll go and watch the filming…"

Levy nodded and they both went out of the tent to watch the filming. Lucy truly enjoyed it as she ate the lunch in her hands. She had really renewed her fanship for Fairy Tail as she watched them film with very little difficulty and mistakes. She was most surprised at Natsu and Gajeel who pulled off the loving boy-next-door look. Gray was also a pretty good actor as he took direction well, even the criticisms.

She would have really enjoyed everything, too, if it wasn't for the chill in her spine every now and then.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Some were saying that once-a-week-update is a bit… _sad_? *laughing* Sorry… As I said, this will _probably _be the safest thing I would say for now. But **do not fret, my good men, **for I will update STRCK! whenever I can… Now can I see smiles?

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **If I'm forgetting your name, please PM me… I always feel sad whenever I forget to give credit to whom it is due. So if you've followed/favorited/reviewed, feel free to check your name and tell me if I'm missing anyone, okay? ^ _ ^

_Favorites and Follows__**: Fairy Tail 777, stormdragon16, MrPotatoChips, LucyAlerion, CelestialSlayer, SugarKandi**_

_Reviews: __**AzuJami-nyan (Guest: 01/23/2013), proud to be foreveralone, bettyjane007 (Guest: 01/23/2013), p-astelmilktea, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, horsejumper88, dianaloveanime, 1fairytaillover, teacupcococake, FallingStar93, AmuletDragonSlayerFairy, fairytaillover416, Lillyviolet, Guest (01/22/2013), AngelXReaper, ReianaA, jd (guest: 01/22/2013), AzuJami-nyan (Guest: 01/23/2013), Lillian Jade, BlackPoppy.0, **_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**_


	22. Chapter 21

**THE STORY SO FAR: **Fairy Tail's album launch abroad will be a big break for the boys—and for the girls. Thus, they shoot an MV for 'Storm Song' to take their career a step higher. Levy and Lucy, meanwhile, are fortunately (or _un_fortunately) involved in all of it. While it may be exciting for the two girls, our blond heroine is having trouble with Juvia's famous death-stares. Now how will this work out for everyone?

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I'm sun burnt, I have a sore throat, I feel hot and I'm very tired… Ugh! But as promised, it's Tuesday (here in the Philippines, at least) and I have to update! WHEE!

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE-**_  
__Where Lucy is reminded of her Physics lessons._

Levy excused herself to go to the school's piano room and practice. Natsu was hovering over the crew's water jug with a playful smirk on his face and Gajeel disappeared from view. Meanwhile, Lucy watched with a heavy heart as Gray started munching on an apple when he should have been eating lunch like everyone else—the lunch that _she _ate for breakfast. She fidgeted as she held a glass of water in her hands.

"You shouldn't have given me your lunch, senpai," she scolded him sheepishly, "Now everyone will think I'm _totally _leeching off of you."

"Don't worry about that, I said," the brunette answered, annoyed. He bit on the apple again as he re-read his script. He kept opening and closing his eyes, obviously not used to the contacts. "It was a gentleman's thing to do."

Lucy pouted at him. "But _you_'re the star. I shouldn't have eaten your lunch," she kept saying, "Aren't there any more of those lunch boxes?"

"_Fine_," Gray sighed and put down the script on the window sill behind them. "I'll go ask the crew if they have an extra. _Happy_, senpai?"

"_Very_," the girl replied, contented. He watched as the idol in cream-colored uniforms walked away from her and approach the blonde director with a lightning-shaped scar on his eye. _Laxus, was it? _The girl tried to remember the director's name.

Suddenly a tall shadow came over towards the girl, catching her attention. Just the way it gave her goosebumps made Lucy conclude that it was Juvia who was coming over. Standing up with a friendly smile, Lucy greeted her acquaintance.

"Hey, J-Juvia," Lucy said, her hand shaking as it gripped the glass quite tightly. She didn't even know why she was trembling; she wasn't scared of Juvia at all. _Maybe it's because I skipped breakfast_?

"Why does Gray-sama smother you so?" she asked bluntly, her eyes almost crying.

_Smother_? "You're misunderstanding. He wasn't smothering me, we were just talking," the blonde explained.

"And why does Lucy-san stick to Gray-sama like this? Is she _in love_ with Gray-sama?"

"Juvia, we're _not _in a relationship!" the other girl asserted, her blood starting to boil now. Juvia was annoying with all her assumptions as she looked at Lucy with tear-filled eyes.

"B-But Juvia—," The other girl held onto Lucy's arm to say something more. However, Lucy raised her hand in reflex, equally reciprocating the force Juvia put on her, maybe even stronger. Now, Lucy was reminded of her Physics lessons and remembered that when a two forces move in opposite directions, the object will move to the direction of greater force; in their case, _up_—sending the water in the glass Lucy was holding straight to Juvia's face.

"_Gyaaaah_!"

The people in the set immediately turned their heads toward them, curious. Lucy's heart broke in two as Juvia's tears finally fell out from her eyes like rain.

"I'm sorry, Juvia," she said. She took out her handkerchief and started to wipe the girl's face. However, Juvia seemed to be less than cooperative.

"W-What…?" the girl mumbled innocently and stepped backward, crying.

"I'm sor—"

"What happened here?" Gray asked, rushing to Lucy's side. He took a look at the wet Juvia and then to Lucy, eyes full of questioning. "Lucy?"

"The water—"

"What happened?" Gray asked Juvia this time.

"L-Lucy-san splashed water all over Juvia…" the other girl said and ran to Gray's chest; the male impulsively pulled her towards him and faced Lucy, waiting for a confirmation.

The blonde couldn't believe her eyes when she saw this and immediately retaliated, "That's not what happened! It was an accident—"

"Why did you do that, senpai?" Gray said.

"But that's _not _what happened, _senpai_," Lucy hissed. For Gray to not believe her was insulting—and hurtful; like the whole world just turned its back on her. Still, she didn't know why she cared so much as to actually explain herself when usually she would just let the world be. "The water _accidentally _splashed on her when I was trying to get my hand away from her grip—"

"Okay, kids. _Break it up_," Laxus said, coming toward them authoritatively. "Are you okay, Juvia? No damage done?"

"Ju-Juvia is fine," the other girl said and broke from Gray's embrace. "She's just—"

"Why don't you go and get dry? Gray, go with her…" Laxus ordered. Gray obliged, taking off his coat and putting it over Juvia while staring at Lucy, his eyes apologizing yet accusing. The blonde male, then, turned to Lucy and put a hand on her shoulder, "You okay, kid?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess, sir," she said politely. She watched Juvia and Gray long enough to see the blue-haired girl look at her with guilt-flooded eyes. Just this was able to melt Lucy's anger and let bygones be bygones. "I'm sorry for causing trouble, Laxus-san."

"It's okay," Laxus replied, ruffling her hair, "What's filming without some drama, right?"

Lucy laughed. "I guess that's true."

"Listen, I don't think we have an extra pair of uniform for Juvia so if you'd be a dear, can you go around school and find one for her?' Laxus said in a voice that seemed to Lucy like feigned kindness. Without even giving the girl much of a choice, Laxus pushed her out of the room to do her task.

* * *

"_Cut_!"

Gray shivered and wiped his eyes dry as Laxus finally shouted the magic word. The rain machine stopped and a few people ran toward the brunette idol to wrap him in thick, fluffy towels. They had been shooting the scene where Gray was happily singing in the rain and it had been going on for about twenty minutes now. Although the singer really enjoyed this scene, he was shivering to the bone and the fact that he hasn't had a proper lunch wasn't helping either.

"Okay, Gray… Get dry so that Natsu can shoot the rain scene," the blonde director ordered. Gray nodded and waddled to the tent, hugging himself to get warm. He sat on the chair meant for him and gladly accepted the water bottle the crew handed to him.

Gray coughed and cleared his throat; then he looked around for any sign of the blonde. Unfortunately, their small fight a while back really left a hole in him. He felt guilty not letting Lucy explain her side of the story while immediately jumping to the conclusion that she _did _what Juvia said she did.

The brunette heaved a sigh and glugged the water from the bottle. _But why did she look so guilty_? _And why didn't Juvia say anything_? "Shoot," he whispered, annoyed. _Senpai is as proud as I am. I'll probably wait in a stalemate for her to explain herself._

"_Gray-sama_…"

Where was Lucy now? Was she mad at him? And for how long?

"Gray-sama…?"

The brunette was startled, realizing Juvia was staring at him and he was staring _through _her. Straightening his back, be cleared his throat and smiled at the girl. "_Hey_, what's up? You okay?"

"Juvia is fine," she said shyly. "But… Juvia has something to say…"

Gray dried his hair with the towel and replied, "What's on your mind?"

"Lucy-san… didn't splash water on Juvia on purpose," she said meekly—_guiltily_, even. The idol's ears rang.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It was an accident," she explained, biting her lower lip, "Lucy-san didn't do it on purpose and… and… _Juvia lied_."

Gray was supposed to be mad at the girl but the way she looked, puppy-dog eyes and all, made his sympathy grow on her. "Why did you lie, then?"

"Because… Lucy-san was… taking Gray-sama from Juvia…"

The male snorted, fighting back laughter; his ego swelled as Juvia's indirect confession was starting to sink in. "You like '_Gray-sama_'?"

The girl's face lit up and she nodded vigorously, blushing.

"Then I forgive you," he said and put a hand on her head.

Juvia immediately jumped toward Gray and pulled him in her arms. It was such a tight hug that Gray choked, gasping for air. He was struggling indeed but the hole in his chest was now gone; and he felt relieved.

Where was Lucy now? He had to apologize, somehow.

"Juvia, come and change. Your clothes are here," said an assistant.

"_Hai_!" Juvia agreed happily. She broke the hug and grabbed Gray's wrist, leading him into the tent.

Gray tried to shake this grip off. "Hey, don't grab my hand! You're being too _clingy_!"

"Ah, so I finally meet the famous Gray Fullbuster," said a male's voice.

The brunette cocked his head to the right to see who it was; the first he saw was Lucy, looking away from him. He bit his lip and opened his mouth to call and apologize to her but then another blonde caught his attention.

He was tall, as tall as Gray was. He had blonde hair, his bangs combed to the side and turning it into a neat-but-scruffy mess. He was wearing the same cream-colored uniform as Gray, with navy blue slacks, the same color as his eyes, and well-polished shoes.

The way he looked was not very threatening to Gray; he knew that the new comer was just as, maybe even less, beautiful than he was. It was the way he had positioned his arm around Lucy's shoulder and the girl didn't even seem to mind.

"I heard from Lucy that Fairy Tail was filming their MV here," he started again, "And I hoped to finally meet Gray Fullbuster." The male blonde put out a hand to Gray, which the latter reluctantly shook.

"You flatter me. But I've also always wanted to meet you and your pals," Gray said, "After all, there's been a rumour going around the fanclubs to which group was better: Gray Fullbuster's Fairy Tail or _Sting Eucliffe_'s Sabertooth?"

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Did anyone get who that was? The blonde newcomer, I mean… I don't really know Sting well but I'll try to capture his character well.

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follows__**: oishi-.-ME, PurpleDiva888, Bayz Sparrow, Vendiche and Avalon, Deadlus, ThatOneCellist, RawrDinoE, ZeldaFan64**_

_Reviews: __**Bee (Guest: 01/24/2013), horsejumper88, AngelXReaper, proud to be foreveralone, Midknightwalker, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, p-astelmilktea, fairytaillover416, oishi-.-ME, PurpleDiva888, FallingStar93, Mini-Silver, 1fairytaillover, BlackPoppy.0, Lillian Jade**_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**_


	23. Chapter 22

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I have three major and two minor exams coming up for the next two weeks, not to mention a short film we have to shoot, a concert we need to prepare for and an exhibition game to practice for. Now, I'd _probably _be busy for the next two weeks so I _can't _promise that I'll be able to update next Tuesday and the Tuesday after that so please be patient with me. I am doing my best. *tee-hee* **YOU HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE! ** _

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO-**_  
__Where looking at someone using peripheral vision hurts._

Most of the classes were still going on and lunch break for the students wouldn't be until ten minutes from then. Therefore, Lucy would have only ten minutes to find a pair of uniforms for Juvia, lest she wanted the '_elite_' students from that school to trample all over her. The girl didn't really like the high-and-mighty, stuck-up rich kids—despite the fact that she was as rich herself. She thinks those who think of themselves more highly than they should need an attitude adjustment, and Lucy thinks most of the students there did.

Lucy looked up at the sky and saw a clump of fat, dark gray clouds at a distance. She sighed. It looked to her like a strong rain was coming and she did not like the idea one bit. The girl hastened her pace and tried to spot anything—or _anyone_—who could actually help her.

"Excuse me, _miss_!" said rough but extremely sexy voice, that of a male, coming from behind Lucy.

Knowing no one was around but herself, Lucy turned to see who was calling out to her. To the girl's surprise, it was a tall, blond male with droopy, dark blue eyes and a dangerous smirk on his face. The female blonde stopped walking and watched as the other blonde made his way toward her, finally stopping around an arm's length away from Lucy.

"Yes?" she said.

The teen took a white handkerchief from his pocket and showed it to Lucy with all gentleness. "You dropped this awhile ago," he said and smirked, showing off his pearl white canines. His free hand made its way to his waist and he straightened himself up to that pose. He, then, cocked his head to the side and looked at the girl straight in the eyes, as if waiting for a reaction.

Not knowing whether or not to laugh, Lucy only fought back a smile, making her stretch her lip to the right. She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms across her chest. "That's not mine," Lucy said as-a-matter-of-factly, "But I _do know _it's yours."

The male blonde laughed and ran his fingers through his hair in a very suggestive manner, "The flirting tactic is too common for you?" he asked.

"_Waaay_ too common," Lucy answered. "Do you need anything from me?"

"As a matter of fact, I _do_," the other answered. "Usually, I don't go and approach girls just like this but you just _really_ amaze me. You're not like the others who practically melt when I talk to them."

There was no hint of humor in the way he talked and Lucy could only guess that he was either one of two things: a TV personality or a self-biased narcissist. _But if he's a combination of the two, that would be even _more _dangerous_, she thought. "Do you know me… by any chance?"

"That's not the question," he said confidently, "The question _is_: do _you _know _me_?"

"Should I?" The girl was somewhere in the thin line between getting annoyed and being amused.

"My name is Sting Eucliffe," he finally said and took her hand to shake it. He still waited for a reaction from the girl but, seeing none, he chuckled and continued, "I'm the lead guitarist of the rookie band Sabertooth."

"_Oh_, you're a TV personality," she said, thankful that he wasn't a narcissist as she initially suspected, "Sorry but I don't have television at home."

Sting gave the '_is that so?_' look and smiled. "That's really great, then," he said, "That way, it would be easier to be myself around you. Your name is…?"

"Lucy… Lucy Heartfilia," the girl replied politely, but with restraint. Sting seemed to be the kind of person who made himself comfortable around girls—and Lucy had always looked out for those types.

"_Heartfilia_? Like, _Layla_ Heartfilia?" he asked, absolutely interested now. _Doesn't he have classes to get back to_? Lucy thought.

"Y-Yeah… She was my mom…"

Sting's eyes grew wider with admiration, "I really respected your mother not only as a singer but also as a person," he started, "I worked with her in a broadway once when I was still a kid!"

The girl's heart drummed in her chest, "Really? Which one?"

"'The Wishing Well*'," Sting answered and the words rang in the female blonde's ears. She smiled sincerely and immediately, she respected Sting. "I was the kid playing the part of Anthony."

"Oh, I _really _liked Anthony's role," Lucy expressed, "But I loved my mother's role best."

"It would be really great if we could talk about this someplace else," he suggested, "Do you want to?"

As if a bell rang in her ears, Lucy snapped out of her trance-like admiration for the blonde and his connection to her mother and remembered that she was looking for something—and had to find it quick!

"S-Sorry, Sting, I'd love to but I'm kind of in the middle of something," she said sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah… Sorry," he said in a my-bad manner, "You looked like you were looking for something. Anything I can help you with?"

"Uhm, I'm looking for an extra set of girls' uniforms," she answered, "Any way you can help me with that?"

* * *

Lucy played back her meeting with Sting about twenty minutes ago. As she did, the rain fell in front of her face as she stared at Natsu filming his part of the rain scene. There was no need for the rain-machine now because of the authentic rain and so Lucy went out just to watch how filming continues when there was _real _rain.

_Natsu is doing very well_, Lucy mused. _Maybe it's because he's already a nice and charming boy to begin with_? Lucy looked to her left: Sting was there, signing autographs for a few of the crew members who were apparently fans of Sabertooth. The girl wondered if Fairy Tail didn't mind having a member of Sabertooth watching them film. Was it bad that she agreed to have Sting there in the first place?

But even if she _didn't _agree to it, she would _still _have to do so. In exchange for letting her borrow his band mates' extra uniform, he asked if she could get him to see the filming. _So far, Laxus-san hasn't said anything about disagreeing so it should be good, right_?

Lucy sighed. There was a pit in her stomach that made her feel as if she'd done something really bad to Fairy Tail—like she's betrayed them or something. Did she? She was innocent, after all. She didn't know that Sabertooth and Fairy Tail were in a tight contest for the Magnolia's Rookie Group of the Year Award.

All of a sudden, her phone made a beeping noise and she took it from her pockets to see who had just texted her. When she had read the name of the sender, she made a pout and glanced to her right side where Gray was holding his phone, looking away from her. She opened the text message reluctantly, still a bit pissed at him, and read: '_Stop fraternizing with the enemy_.'

'_I'm not fraternizing with the enemy because HE'S_ _not my enemy in any way. He's kind and he knew my mother,_' she replied. She watched Gray's reaction when he read the text and he seemed completely annoyed. She wanted to smile, for some unknown reason, but she reminded herself that he had done her wrong and needed to apologize first.

'_I thought you were a fan of Fairy Tail_? _You should be more loyal to us… After all we've been through_,' came Gray's reply.

'_What_?!' Lucy typed, '_Who said anything about me being your fan_? _I am SO not your fan._' She sent this message and, remembering what he did, typed and sent another one which read: '_But if I was your fan, didn't you have an obligation to BELIEVE IN WHAT I SAY_?'

Lucy pretended to look straight ahead, when in fact she was actually waiting bitterly for Gray's reaction. _Seeing with your peripheral vision _sure _is stressful to your eyes_, she thought, feeling the strain. But she continued to watch as Gray read her messages, see what his reaction was. He would look at his phone, then to her, back to his phone, do some typing and then look at her again.

It took about a minute before Gray could finally reply to her: '_Sorry_'.

Lucy smiled. It was kind of cute that he took a long time to send her a one-word message, not even bothering with the punctuation mark. Did it end in a question mark? A period? An ellipsis? Or an angry exclamation? There were so many possibilities and the girl finally smiled at her phone, but didn't reply to his text.

_That was all I needed_, she mentally told him. She looked to her right and found that Gray wasn't there anymore. She smiled smugly; knowing Gray, he must be sulking somewhere. To have someone as proud as him to tell her he was sorry was _epic_—and he knew Lucy would probably tease him a lot about it. _I love being in control_, she thought to herself now.

"He's not who you think he is," came a voice from behind Lucy. She didn't even bother to look at who it was since Gray was the only one who sounded like that.

"He's nice and he knew my mother," she said, "I don't see how he could probably be _bad_."

"That's what he _wants _you to believe," he said, "In reality, he's got a number of scandals that Minerva Entertainment tries to cover up…"

"He's good looking," Lucy defended, "It would only be normal that people try to bring him down. But I _still _refuse to believe in what you're saying."

"You're _still _mad about that? I said I was sorry!" Gray said, louder this time.

"Are you _really _the one who should be angry?" she asked, "Wasn't _I _the one who had someone do her wrong?"

The brunette remained silent for a moment, then cleared his throat and repeated his apology: "_Sorry_…"

"I'm sorry that I brought him along, too, senpai," the girl apologized, surprising Gray. "It was a condition I agreed to so I could get Juvia a set of uniforms… a_side _from the fact that I gave him my number."

"_You gave him your number_?!" Gray scolded in a soft, held-back voice, "Senpai, you shouldn't have done that!"

"What was I supposed to do? Let your filming be delayed because of me?" she said calmly. "Don't worry, it's just a cell phone number… It's no big deal…"

"Yes. _It. Is_!" the brunette hissed, worried, "You don't know the scandals he's been in! You're putting yourself in danger!"

"Why? What kind of scandals does he have?" she asked, trying to get him to convince her. She saw how his ears became red and his cheeks become tinted with a shade of red. "What, you've got nothing?"

"Y-You're still a minor so I can't tell you things like those…" he revealed, leaving a clue in Lucy's head. Her stomach also made a sudden jolt; what if Gray was _right_?

"Just be careful, okay—?"

"_Cut_! That's all for today, everybody!" Laxus bellowed, and the crew and the people around, even Sting, gave out a loud applause. The people around busied themselves with packing-up while Natsu, Gajeel and Levy approached Gray and Lucy.

"_Man_, that was tiring!" said Natsu, his wet pink hair sticking to his forehead in an adorable manner. "Did I miss anything, Gray?"

"A wolf has joined this party… Three o' clock," Gray replied in a Fairy Tail language. Both Natsu and Gajeel turned to Gray's left and saw as Sting Eucliffe walk towards them. Levy let out an excited gasp and Gajeel growled at her threateningly.

"That was such a fast shoot. I hope Rogue and Yukino were here to see this," he said in a voice that yelled a challenge. He kept making quick stares at the three Fairy Tail members. "You know, we're going to release an album right after yours."

"That's cool," Gajeel replied sarcastically but with a smile on his face, "Can't wait to see it."

"I can say the same thing about yours," Sting announced, "Excuse me but I'll have to get back to class…"

"Yeah, you should," Gray said, "Education _is _important… As important as _morals _and _self-respect_."

Sting smirked at this remark, "I agree…" He turned to Lucy and smiled, "Lucy, I'll be keeping in touch, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess," the female blonde replied, her heart beating wildly. Now that Gray had told her a few things that intrigued her, she wasn't sure whether or not to believe Sting's sweet smiles anymore.

"What was _he _doing here?!" Natsu asked when he saw that Sting was already out of ear-shot.

Lucy bit her lip, "I—"

"He found out we were filming and came down here to spy on us," Gray interrupted. Lucy looked at him curiously; was he trying to cover-up for her? "But it doesn't matter anymore. We should just do everything so that our output will be our best."

"_That_'s why you're the leader," Natsu said, smiling. "So, what do we have to shoot for tomorrow?"

Gajeel thought for a moment and replied, "We need to shoot the song in a studio then the pianist gets to record the music."

"We'll be counting on you, then, Levy!" Natsu said, holding Levy's arms enthusiastically.

"Hai!" Levy agreed and nodded.

Fairy Tail's album was going to be released in about two weeks and Lucy had never felt herself being so excited. First, her friend was going to record the music for the album's title song. Next, Fairy Tail will be going _global _if the album becomes a hit, and third, her song was going to be in it!

Forgetting about the disturbing rumor about her new friend, Sting, Lucy could feel herself wishing that the days would hurry and pass by so that _the _day will come at last.

But as they say, _be careful what you wish for_.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Yaay! I've exceeded 200 reviews! Wow, you guys are fast!

*****Okay… So… This broadway title is mine, I hope. I made it up so don't bother looking it up on Google *laughs*. It's because I don't like citing works which are not mine and risk going to jail. So I hope you understand.

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follows__**: , BlackAngelJade, Sakura050, zet-sama45, lolli-dragon12, MademoiselleRED, CandyMari, anon1409**_

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	24. AUTHOR'S NOTE: this is not a new chapter

**HELLO, Minna! **Most of you will probably be disappointed to know that **this isn't a new chapter**. I'm really sorry it took me forever to actually write this Author's Note. I've been really busy, as most of you probably have been. But don't you guys worry, **I promise to see this fanfic through to the end**. In fact, chapter 23 is on its way if you guys are still willing to wait for it and give me some more time.

I hope I don't disappoint. Happy Easter Sunday, everyone! God bless all of us! ^^

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follows__**: leoslady4ever, stormdragon16, xDisorientatedLogic, IYRGirl, Slvtgarden, Deathsembrace137, Sailor Supernova, MelanaShadow, maydayela, Sakura4128, MademoiselleRED, Umi Ryuuzaki Fullbuster, prfan, LittleWonderland, miszhatter, CrazyLioness6, kL0he, xxErzaxx, snowdrop03, MayuriSakura12, MayuriSakura12, atothenn, bluemoonflower, Yesa Chan, tybaltcapulet427, Rachel Monroe, Rawawawawrr, BadBoyAddicted, queeniebeanie, , XxWhiteKeysxX, Lucy H. Fullbuster, strawhat1227, JergLol, LittleKnitt, LuckySuna, m1ch3ll3000, TheHoleyDonut, shuki00, Drunkly, victoriacarlson11**_

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_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**_


	25. Chapter 23

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **How long has it been? Hello, minna! I know some of you have mixed emotions right now and I actually have a million excuses (starting off with C-O-L-L-E-G-E) but I won't waste my time with that. Hope you guys forgive me and thanks to everyone who's been very patient with me. I hope you guys are as inspired as I am!

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE-**_  
__Where Fairy Tail plus Sabertooth plus alcohol equals bad news_.

_CLUNK_!

The petite blue-haired lady bent down and took the lemonade can that the vending machine had just dropped. Holding the can and sighing deeply, she looked at her hands. They were calm now. Just a few minutes ago they were cold and shaking. It could have been the temperature; but she believed that it was because of her first studio recording experience.

She smiled as she remembered her five minutes of adrenaline rush. It was truly something amazing, being able to play the piano for a song to be released in a CD. She squealed and shook herself from left to right, mentally giving herself a pat on the back.

"Excuse me, are you going to take long?" said someone behind her.

Levy snapped out of her moment, ashamed, and immediately turned to face a teen with black hair that reached the bottom of his neck. He was wearing a gray hooded jacket and dark sweat pants. Although his raven hair covered a quarter of his face, the girl couldn't help but recognize him.

"Y-you're—!" she pointed an excited finger at him, "You're _Rogue Cheney_!"

The boy smiled reluctantly and gave a small nod while making his way in front of the vending machine. He dropped a coin and got a coffee can before turning to face Levy.

"Oh, dear Lord, can I have your autograph?" she said and started looking for paper. She gave him her portfolio, along with a pen she got from who knows where.

"Sure," he replied. Rogue opened the portfolio, pinned it against the wall and was about to sign it when its contents caught his attention, "_Storm Song_?"

"Uhm… Yeah…" she told him. "I came here for a recording with Fairy Tale…"

The male teen looked dejected but, trying to hide it, he asked, "So…you know Gajeel Redfox?" He put the portfolio he was holding down and proceeded to face Levy.

"I do…" the girl replied, flustered.

Rogue looked at her with knowing eyes and smirked. "So, you're with Gajeel but you're asking Rogue Cheney for an autograph. You _do _know our groups are, quote-unquote, rivals."

Levy waved her hands in front of her, shaking the lemonade in her hands. "I… I'm not _with_ Gajeel-san!" As she said this, her ears started to turn pink. Good thing, though, that Rogue had his back turned on her as he signed her autograph.

"Here you go…" The teen once again examined his company—more closely, this time. "You said you weren't with Gajeel, right?"

Levy answered immediately. "N-No… We're not _together_…"

"Figures," he said, the same smirk etched on his face. He started to walk away and mumbled to himself, "He's not really the type to like people… well, like _you_."

He said this in such a small voice that it was beyond human earshot; unfortunately for Levy, though, her hearing was 'beyond human'.

* * *

Relieved that the recording was _finally _over, Gajeel sat by the hallway and continued to scribble on his pad. Every time someone random would pass by, he would lower his cap and continue working on the 'project' he had been working on since early that morning. To avoid getting distracted, he maxed out the volume of his phone until all external sounds had been nullified. All Gajeel could hear now was his music player playing the song he only recently downloaded.

Last night, he was searching for songs that interested him when he came upon a choral rendition of Jason Mraz's '_I'm Yours*_'. He had never really been a fan of choral music or acapella but over the past few days he felt himself being more and more interested; so much that he was now arranging a song he planned to entitle, "You're Beautiful".

_Fuckin' strange_, he thought, still writing. He found it strange that he was suddenly writing stuff about romance. It normally wasn't his '_thing_'. He was a rocker boy, not a lover boy.

Gajeel stopped and unconsciously looked up; only to catch sight of a familiar face that passed him by, oblivious of his presence.

_This guy_, he mentally noted as Rogue passed him. What was he doing in that building? Recording? The long-haired brunette followed the path where Rogue had come from and saw Levy looking away with empty eyes.

Gajeel scrunched his forehead. Something about the way that Levy stared into thin air gave him a feeling that something was wrong with her; and God knows what she was thinking of then. So, to avoid trouble, Gajeel stood up, turned around and walked off, the same way Rogue had gone.

* * *

Lucy didn't like bars. They were noisy, smelled of vomit and cigarette, and had lights that blinked on and off, making one nauseous; not to mention she _didn't _drink hard alcohol, which just may have completed her 'Top Five Reasons Why I _Shouldn't_ Be Here.' The first reason, one may ask? Well, for one thing, Lucy is still a minor until a week from then, which may get her into trouble if the management found out.

_Erza-san is really amazing, though_, she said to herself. _Just one look at those guards outside and they let us in without further questions_. The girl took a sip of the mango juice from the wine glass she was holding while looking disapprovingly at the dance floor: Natsu was dancing like an idiot and Gray looked as if he was making out with a ginger-head who didn't seem to have any EQ. She could only sigh and tell herself that boys will be boys.

"Levy isn't here yet?" Erza asked her. Lucy turned to the woman who now had her arms across her chest and her legs folded. "I thought she was coming here with you."

"Oh, she said she had something to do first and that I should go on ahead," the blond answered. "I thought she was with _you_, Gajeel-san."

Gajeel, the only guy of the trio who didn't come close to the dance floor, raised an eyebrow at her and took a quick gulp from the shot glass in front of him. "Why would she be with me?"

_I dunno,_ Lucy answered him in her head and just shrugged cutely, trying to hide the disgust from her face. _I thought you two had a thing going on._ The girl's eyes once again wandered around the entrance; she was hoping to see Levy the minute she stepped in so that it wouldn't be so awkward in that place.

"Levy was a bit weird yesterday when I took her home, though," Erza started. Though Lucy wasn't looking, she could hear the concern in Erza's voice. "She was really silent and seemed to be thinking of something very deeply."

"You really didn't see her today, blondie?" Gajeel asked her, annoying the girl. She didn't really like to be called 'blondie' or 'cosplay queen' or any other nickname Gajeel had for her.

"_No_, I—" Lucy stopped when she saw a woman entering the bar. She had to process the visual information first before her brain zapped her recognition core. "On second thought, I think I'll just go get her right now."

Standing up and stomping her way through the crowd, Lucy stopped in front of a lady with long, black hair and sunglasses, wearing a fitting shirt with a plunging neckline with her tattered skinny jeans and five-inch stiletto heels.

"Really?" she greeted, in a tone both querying and scolding. "What's with the get-up, _Levy_?"

The lady, who apparently was Levy, made a nervous jolt and bit her lips, painted devil-red. "H-How did you know it was me? I… I look completely different…!"

"Yeah, I can see _that_," Lucy answered in the same scolding tone as before, "You're wearing two-inch thick make-up, a shirt that shows off your chest and, if I may estimate—" the blond leaned in closer to Levy to whisper the rest of her statement, "—bras that are twice your cup size."

"_Lu-chan_!" Levy squealed and hitting Lucy's arm, flustered. "H-How did you know that?! What gave me away?"

"_Levy_!" the other girl replied, rubbing her arm, "I've known you for about _ten years_ now and I think I'll know your bowed legs when I see them."

Levy hit her forehead with her palm. "So my plan failed, huh?"

"What plan?" Lucy asked, her forehead scrunched now, "Levy, what is _wrong _with you?"

"_Nothing_," she replied in a decrescendo. "Let's just go. I think I've kept you guys waiting long enough."

Lucy watched as Levy's back approached Gajeel and Erza's table. When the once-blue-haired girl got there, she received wide-eyed stares from both Erza and Gajeel, though Gajeel seemed to disapprove more that his female companion did.

"Well, I think we're just about all here now," Erza said when Natsu and Gray, both sweaty and panting, went and joined them.

"_Just_ about…" Natsu said, taking a half-full shot glass from the table. "Where's Levy?"

"And who's the hot chick beside Gajeel?" asked Gray who whispered these words to Lucy, who was beside him.

Lucy wafted the smell of liquor that came from Gray's mouth away from her nose and, with a flat face, answered, "_Levy_."

If Gray and Natsu were slightly drunk, they were now sober upon hearing Lucy's answer. Their heads shot towards Levy's direction and they stared at her as if they didn't know her at all.

"R-Really?" they asked in a duet, which Gajeel positively answered with a disgusted grunt.

"Wow, Levy," Gray said, chuckling and reaching out an almost-flirtatious hand, "I couldn't even recognize you."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Levy said and smiled, taking Gray's hand. Lucy rolled her eyes and saw that Gajeel was staring bullets through Gray's head.

"Of course, it _wasn't_," Gajeel said loudly, "It was a polite way of me saying, 'What the heck are you wearing and what spirit possessed you to wear such an accursed outfit?'."

Levy fell silent for a moment, so did all the others. The tense moment continued as Gajeel took another drink from his shot glass, the disco music practically banging in their eardrums because of the awkward silence.

"_Well_!" Erza said after a few seconds, "I guess you two girls are wondering why we're all celebrating here…"

"I-I _am_, actually," answered Levy after coughing. Lucy couldn't help but notice her friend's hand shaking on her lap.

The scarlet-haired woman raised a glass up in the air and looked at all of them, "I want us to celebrate the successful shooting and recording of Fairy Tail's second album… A _toast_…"

Lucy smiled for the first time that night. Just remembering that she actually became part of something that big was overwhelming—more overwhelming that Levy's sudden makeover. She, too, raised her glass of mango juice and raised it in the air, "To Fairy Tail."

Gray and Natsu raised their glasses in the air, too, "To _Fairy Tail_!"

Gajeel reluctantly, but happily followed after them, "To _us_."

"Cheers, indeed…" Three silhouettes approached their table, and a blond boy wearing an off-white hoodie and skinny jeans laid his hands on the table and leaned in on their celebration. "So you guys are gonna be releasing your album, right?"

"Sting!" Lucy said, surprised. Sting was smiling at her behind his tinted shades, his hoodie covering his head. Behind him, Lucy could see another teenage boy with dark hair disguising himself with a bonet and a thick scarf around his neck. He was wearing a collared shirt, the color of which Lucy couldn't make out. Beside him, a silent girl with beautiful gray, almost white, hair stood in a furry coat and a black pencil skirt. Lucy pretty much figured that they were Sabertooth. _And Sabertooth plus Fairy Tail in one club equals trouble, right_? The girl mentally shook her head; let's hope not.

"What're you _wolves_ doing here?" Gajeel pouted, acid in his voice.

"Why? Sabertooth can't party in the same bar as Fairy Tail?" Sting snapped back in feigned politeness.

"What _Gajeel _meant to say was," Gray interrupted before a bloodbath, "Do you guys have any business with us?"

"Oh, nothing…" Sting replied in a friendly way. He stretched his arms and cupped the back of his head in them. "We were just around and we saw you lady friend over here…"

Everyone's eyes, except for Gajeel's and the silver-haired Sabertooth, were on Levy, who immediately looked at them, waiting for a reaction.

"I see you tried something new with your look," Rogue commented to Levy. The girl looked away nervously, as if Rogue scared the wits out of her. "Not much changed, though…"

"If you don't have any more business here," Gajeel hissed at Rogue who leaned in closer to Levy, "_Fucking leave_."

"Gajeel-san," Rogue acknowledged, "I'm afraid this _doesn't _concern you; this is between the lady and I."

Before Gajeel could even plant his knuckle on Rogue's face, Erza had somehow managed to swiftly grab hold of his arm while Sting held out a hand in front of his colleague to keep him under control.

"I think it _best _if you leave, Eucliffe," Gray warned staring at him with blood-thirsty eyes.

"Yes, of course. I _do _believe so," Sting replied and the female Sabertooth pulled on Rogue's arm to keep him away from Gajeel. "It's been a nice, er… _chat_ with you, Fairies."

"_Totally _can't wait for the next one," Natsu said sarcastically, another round of drink on his shot glass. Sabertooth, then, turned their backs and retreated to the exit.

"Oh!" Sting turned his head toward Gray, a declaration of war. "We'd like to tell you that we'd _also _be releasing an album right after you guys… It seems that it's Fairies and Wolves for number one on the charts again?"

Lucy saw as Gray smirked confidently. "Yeah, yeah… _Good luck with that_."

* * *

"You're sure you won't hitch a ride with Erza-san, Levy?" Lucy asked from inside Erza Scarlet's navy blue sports car. She was in the back seat with Gray while Natsu lay on the passenger seat, apparently lifeless.

"No… I think Jet and Droy will be coming soon," her friend replied.

"You sure your butlers will come here and pick you up?" Erza asked this time.

"Yeah, I'm sure…" Levy assured. "Take care now…"

Erza closed the car's tinted windows and revved up the engine. Almost immediately, Lucy could feel that the car had already sped to about 120.

"I'm a bit worried about Levy," Lucy said to both Erza and Gray; however, she wagered that neither one was listening since Erza was busy driving with her earphones on, and Gray was rubbing his temples and was feeling queasy because of the alcohol.

Lucy sighed. She really _was _bothered by Levy's sudden urge to have a makeover.

Then, out of the blue, Lucy felt Gray's knuckle hitting her shoulder weakly, as if comforting her. He wasn't in a very good condition and was now leaning away from her, trying to fit his height into that small space of a car.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"You worry too much about Levy," Gray commented in a small voice that seemed to fight back the urge to retch. "She's older than you, you know?"

"_You're_ older than me and you _still _worry me. So it's not really a comforting thought," Lucy snapped back.

Gray chuckled. "You _worry _about me?" he said, "As _if_."

"I worry for _everyone_," Lucy said. She took Gray's hand and rested it on his lap; while doing so, she couldn't help but notice that it was cold and sweating. _That's what you get for drinking too much_.

"Eitherway, I'm sure she'll be fine," Gray said, turning toward her, his eyes drooping more than usual. "Gajeel stayed to make sure she's safe so… _no worries_."

Lucy's reaction, instead of a look of relief, was one of extreme worry and mistrust. "He stayed behind?"

"Didn't you hear me the first time?"

"Darn…"

"Hey, I _told _you, didn't I? He's not a bad guy so would you please _stop _being such a worry-wart and just trust him? He'll straighten her up _for sure_."

"I just can't help but get this queasy feeling in my gut—"

"_Urp_!" Gray finally gave in and jolted, feeling his dinner and the alcohol rise up to his throat. Good thing that Erza didn't notice, though, or she would scold him if ever anything happened to her car. Calmly, he leaned back on the seat and took several deep breaths.

"You okay, senpai?" Lucy whispered. She looked at Natsu; he wasn't doing any better that Gray.

"I'm okay," Gray heaved, "Just extremely sick to the stomach."

"You shouldn't have had that last bottle, huh?" Lucy said, reprimanding.

"Yeah, I shouldn't have," Gray pouted and closed his eyes.

The blonde sighed as she looked at him with pity. By this time, Erza was slowing down because of the traffic jam up ahead.

"Give me your hand," Lucy ordered and grabbed Gray's left hand.

"What're you doing?" Gray protested; however, he didn't have the strength to take his hand away from the blond and had no choice but to let her do whatever she wanted.

"Shut it… I'm trying to help," she said and started pressing the area on his palm between his thumb and forefinger. She did so carefully, and yet painfully.

"_Ow_…" he croaked.

"Stop complaining," she said and continued. "The more it hurts, the more you'll forget about your nausea."

It was dark inside the car, and only the street lights outside gave it a bit of orange light. With this, Gray didn't even have to worry about holding back the dumb smile that suddenly appeared.

"Okay, then," he said, "I'll just lean over here so you can do your thing."

"Yeah, sure—hey!" Lucy, taken aback when Gray suddenly rested his head on her shoulder, hissed softly. "What are you _doing_, senpai?!"

"Stop complaining," Gray echoed, "The more I annoy you, the more you'll forget about Levy."

Lucy was awe-struck at his logic at first, but then smiled later on as she continued to massage his palm. Why, again, was she friends with such illogical and childish people?

* * *

Levy could only blink multiple times as Gajeel handed her a helmet. Did he _really _stay behind to take her home? Or was she just over thinking things?

"Are you just going to gawk at the helmet or are you going to put it on?" Gajeel said impatiently, starting the motorcycle's engine.

"I…" Levy wanted to tell him she was waiting for Jet and Droy but her mouth just wouldn't cooperate with her. Instead she grabbed the helmet and sat behind Gajeel on the motorcycle. "Why did you stay behind, Gajeel-san?"

They were moving quite slowly, despite the fact that Gajeel had taken a deserted route to Levy's home. It was dark and silent; so silent that it was uncomfortable. It stayed like this for a few more awkward moments until Gajeel finally spoke up.

"What did he say to you?"

"Pardon?" Levy asked; his statement was a bit too general.

"Cheney," Gajeel pointed out, "He said something, didn't he?"

"N-No…" the girl lied.

"So he _did _say something," Gajeel sneered. "Okay, spill it. What did he tell you?"

"Nothing… He really didn't say anything!"

"Yeah… As if I didn't notice that you were pretty tense when he was talking to you," Gajeel said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Levy sighed. "Even if he said something, I don't think I have an obligation to tell you." The brunette fell silent at this remark, knowing fully well that Levy had made a point.

Gajeel stopped the motorcycle when he reached the front gates of Levy's house. The girl silently stepped down and removed the helmet from her head and handed it back to Gajeel. Neither talked, nor moved, waiting for one to say something to the other.

"Do I really look ridiculous in this?" Levy asked, her eyes on the ground. This statement, somehow, gave Gajeel an inkling as what Rogue had told Levy.

"Yes," he answered plainly and honestly."It doesn't suit you."

Although he had clean intentions, Gajeel didn't realize that Levy would take it the wrong way. The girl looked up to him with eyes that were insulted; she opened her mouth to say something but she ended up just pursing her lips and smiled sarcastically at Gajeel.

"F-Fine!" she said, "Who needs _your _opinion anyway?"

Then, without even saying goodbye, Levy turned her back, leaving Gajeel staring at her, shocked. After finally realizing that he had somehow said something he _shouldn't _have, Gajeel smacked himself on the forehead.

He picked up his phone and proceeded to make a call. "Hey," he said when the person on the other side of the line picked up.

"Gajeel-san?" Lucy's voice was that of disbelief and discomfort.

"Look, we need to talk. Can you call up the droopy-eyed guy and the Salamander?"

"What? Why—?"

"I'll be waiting back at the studio…"

"But Gajeel-san—"

The brunette hung up, not wanting to explain anything. Then, he started the engine again and rode off.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Writing after a loooooong time feels really strange. I feel like I need to sharpen my vocabulary again. *laughs* Anyway, I'm glad to be back and so glad to be writing for you guys. I didn't even realize this chapter has reached 3K+ words! That's _so _weird.

*****This choral rendition I am talking about is the **Philippine Madrigal Singers**' version of '_I'm Yours_' as arranged by **Christopher Borela**. Lately, I have been a real fangirl of this group ever since they came to our city and held a concert. That was around three weeks ago but I'm _still _hung-over by their presence! They're just so good! Here's a link to their version and I hope you guys enjoy the music:

_ www . youtube watch ? v = TNDsNdDqkIY_

**ADDITIONAL NOTE: **Er, since this chapter ended with the GaVy pairing, the next chapter will be a short GaVy filler chapter. After that, it's GraLu galore! WOOHOO! _

**PS: **Is it true that Hiro Mashima will postpone the anime? I'm not updated so please tell me!

No acknowledgement for this chapter because I'm still sorting out my mail... Geez... So this is what happens when you don't go online for about two weeks...!

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**_


	26. Chapter 24

**THE STORY SO FAR: **The album recording was a success and Fairy Tail stretches its wings to take flight. But _wait_—! There's a problem! Levy seems to be re-living her days of insecurity thanks to a brunette from Sabertooth. Needless to say, the whole gang was worried, Gajeel most especially. So, he, then, calls the guys to the studio for a little chit-chat. But knowing Gajeel, will this possibly work?

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I only realized this now, but on the previous chapter, Gajeel was riding a motorcycle! O.o Huzzah for someone who gets motion sick! I guess he doesn't get as motion sick as Natsu…

**WARNING: **Get ready for a long chapter—because I said so… *laughing maniacally*

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR-**_  
__Where Gajeel takes a hand._

Lucy was the first to arrive; maybe because she was the closest to the studio. When she got there, Gajeel was sitting on the couch, his arms crossed and his legs comfortably laid on top of the center table. _He looks pissed_, she thought, entering the room silently. Then again, he _always _looks pissed. Come to think of it, she hasn't really seen him smiling normally.

Lucy closed the door behind her and held her breath as if not wanting to breathe the same air as the brunette bassist. She stayed there with her back on the door for quite some time before she finally couldn't hold her tongue back.

"So, uh… What's this about?" she asked acidly. She had always been terribly cold towards him. For some reason, he _irked_ her.

"Let's wait until the other two get here," he replied as coldly as she did; or has he _always _talked like that?

"Hey, it's near midnight," Lucy said, her voice getting louder and her temper rising, "I'm tired and I'm sleepy so I'd really love an explanation as to why you called me up when I should be _sleeping_."

Gajeel looked at her with eyes filled with annoyance. Then, he clicked his tongue and looked away saying, "It's about your _friend_."

"What?" the girl replied almost immediately. Then, realizing he was talking about Levy, Lucy continued, "Why? What about her?"

"She's acting up again," he simply said. By the sound of it, he was talking as if she knew what he was saying; _tough luck, though, _she thought, _because I have _no _idea_.

When Lucy didn't reply and only looked at Gajeel with one eyebrow raised, he continued, "Her _inferiority complex_ is getting the best of her—and I _don't _like it."

"What do you mean?" she demanded, "Is this about her sudden makeover?"

"Bingo…" he said in a low and gruff voice, his lips pursed. "I'm betting it's something that that _Rogue Cheney _said."

"You think Levy likes Rogue Cheney?"

"_No_," he snapped, "I'm saying that he said something to loosen a few of her nuts."

"And..?"

"I don't like it."

"Why are you so worried about Levy? Do you like her?" the blond said hotly.

"Shut up and just work with me. I know you're worried about her," he replied, annoyed.

"So it's _me _you like and not Levy—?"

"Don't flatter yourself, kid," Gajeel immediately grimaced, "You'd be the last person on earth that I'd like romantically."

"_How dare you—_?"

"She's important to _all of us_," Gajeel impressed, stopping Lucy in her rampage, "So if you want to at least help her then do this with me. If not, then I can always find a replacement."

Lucy swallowed hard. _He's got a point_. She wanted to know what was wrong with Levy. She wanted to console her and assure her that whatever was happening was just going to pass; and to think that she was waiting for Levy to move while Gajeel was here, already doing it ahead of her.

Gray's words rang in the blonde's head: _He's not a bad person_. He's not. She knew that. Gajeel just had difficulty in being expressive but he wasn't bad at all. So why should she be so against him? Was it prejudice? Or was it because she didn't like him for Levy? She pursed her lips.

"So?" she finally gave in, sitting in front of him, "What's the plan?"

* * *

Levy could do nothing but scratch the back of her head as she took off the heavy wig. She could feel itchy lumps on her nape and had the urge to scratch them. Who knew she was allergic to a combination of dust and sweat? _That's the price of beauty_, she merely noted. The poor girl had to put up with two kilos of extra weight on her head for about eight hours now at school. Although people had complimented her new look, she wondered why she found it uncomfortable. Even though she was getting a lot of attention, and the boys who never knew she existed started talking to her, she couldn't help but try to shy away from all of them. It didn't feel right. It wasn't what she expected it to be.

Or maybe it was just going to need a little "getting used to"?

By the end of the day, the girl found herself walking up to the music room on the fourth floor where she felt most at ease. It had become her home at school; a shrine where she could be herself.

She sighed as she let herself in the dark room. As she closed the door behind her, she slid down on to the floor, tired. Levy hadn't seen Lucy at all that day. She skipped class and wasn't picking up her phone. _Is she mad at me, after all_?

_Oooh~~_

The girl looked up, almost nervously, to her right. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice there were people there with her, staying at the darker side of the room where the light from the sunset couldn't reach. They sang harmonically to the tune of '_Just the Way You Are_' and, surprised, Levy stood up to turn on the lights.

"Oh, _my_!" she cried, seeing Natsu, Gray and Gajeel lined up and singing. All three of them were looking at her while at the corner, Lucy strummed her acoustic guitar.

From the center, Natsu stepped forward and sang the first verse while Gajeel and Gray hummed in the background:

_Oh, her eyes, her eyes_

_Make the stars look like they're not shining_

_Her hair, her hair_

_Fits her perfectly without her trying_

_She's so beautiful_

_And I tell her everyday_

In a witty manner, Gray stole front-and-center from Natsu and sang while gesturing to Levy. The girl couldn't help but chuckle.

_Yeah, I know, I know_

_When I compliment her, she won't believe me_

_It's so, it's so_

_Sad to see that she don't see what I see_

_But every time she asks me, 'Do I look okay?'_

_I say…_

The three of them lined up together at the center again to sing the chorus. Natsu was doing a little dance, too, and made Gajeel roll his eyes in a 'what-an-idiot' manner.

_When I see your face_

_There's not a thing that I would change_

'_Coz you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

"And when you smile~~," Natsu sang confidently, holding out a hand to Levy. Gajeel and Gray echoed his singing, "The whole world stops and stares for a while…"

"'Coz girl, you're amazing~~," Gray sang, magically taking a rose from thin air, "Just the way you are..."

Gray and Natsu approached Levy, each taking a hand from her and leading her to a chair which seemed to be purposely put there. The blue-haired girl was about to look for Gajeel, as he suddenly disappeared, but then Lucy took the center stage with her guitar and screamed:

_Who said?_

Levy couldn't help but laugh at this: Lucy was singing _pop_! Truly, it was an amazing sight; but the blond sounded great, nevertheless, and Levy now realized that she may have skipped class just trying to learn how to sing that.

_Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel_

_Like you're less than, less than perfect_

_Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel_

_Like you're nothing, you are perfect to me_

_Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel_

_Like you're nothing, you are perfect to me_

"Who says…?" she smiled to her friend, cocking her head to the side. Levy didn't even notice that Natsu was already hitting on the beatbox while Gray had plugged his devil-red electric guitar on an amplifier and was backing Lucy up. He strummed it hard on a chord and Lucy breathed in deeply to sing a different song this time.

_Who says, who says you're not perfect? _

_Who says you're not worth it?_

_Who says you're the only one that's hurtin'?_

_Trust me, that's the price of beauty_

_Who says you're not pretty?_

_Who says you're not beautiful?_

"You're insecure, don't know what for."

Levy's head immediately snapped to Natsu's direction and giggled. Just who made this mash-up?

"You're turning heads when you walk through the door," he continued.

Natsu sang the rest of the verse before Gray joined him to sing the chorus, both still playing their respective instruments.

_Baby you light up my world like nobody else_

_The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed_

_But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell_

_You don't know, oh oh,_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

Although thoroughly enjoyed by what they were doing, Levy still couldn't help but let her eyes wander around the room, searching for the bassist who was missing-in-action. When she couldn't find him, she just let herself get drowned by Fairy Tail singing only for her.

_If only you saw what I can see,_

_You'll understand why I want you so desperately_

_Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,_

_You don't know, oh oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_Oh oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_Oh oh_

"That's what makes you beautiful," Gray sang, winking at her. Levy blushed at this. Gray _actually _winked at her. She didn't like him romantically or anything but being a fan of Fairy Tail since their debut, any girl would melt at his flirtatious moves.

The brunette guitarist gestured to his left, as if telling Levy to look over there. And when she did, she almost cried: Gajeel had an acoustic guitar strapped around him and he was sitting calmly on a chair in front of hers. Natsu and Gray stopped playing their instruments as Gajeel played the strings on the guitar, the tune almost summoning all the tears out of Levy's eyes.

_You look so beautiful today_

_When you're sitting there it's hard for me to look away_

_So I try to find the words that I could say_

_I know distance doesn't matter but you feel so far away_

_And I can't lie_

_Every time I leave my heart turns gray_

_And I wanna come back home to see your face tonight_

_Cause I just can't take it_

_Another day without you with me_

_Is like a blade that cuts right through me_

_But I can wait_

_I can wait forever_

_When you call my heart stops beating_

_When you're gone it won't stop bleeding_

_But I can wait_

_I can wait forever_

_I can wait forever_

_I can wait forever..._

"Gajeel-kun…" she mumbled, just looking at him in disbelief, confusion and happiness.

"When I see your face~~," Natsu sang; Gray and Gajeel echoed.

"Who says?" Lucy sang softly after him, joining him and Gray toward the center where Gajeel was.

"There's not a thing that I would change…" the leader sang and the other three echoed.

"'Coz girl, you're _amazing_," Lucy emphasized.

"_Just the way you are_…" Gajeel ended and locked gazes with Levy.

The girl could only stare at him apologetically, as his stares were reprimanding. Despite this, she was happy to have him looking at her like that; because it meant that he was worried for her… that he _cared_. For a moment, she had forgotten the two kilos of hair she had left on the floor. She had forgotten the rash which was not burning on her nape. She forgot the really cute guy from the volleyball team who actually bought her a box of apple juice for lunch. She was about to forget her name, even, and wanted to stay in that moment forever.

"So?" Lucy said after what seemed like a really long time. Levy was dragged back to the present and realized she was staring at the wall now. Gajeel had moved to return the musical instruments back to their respective shelves along with Natsu and Gray.

"S-'So' what?" Levy asked her. The blond pulled her into a tight bear hug. "What do you mean?"

"Are you okay now?" she clarified.

"B-But I _am _okay," Levy answered her.

"And this… _façade_?" Lucy asked.

The blue-haired pianist fought back a laugh as she remembered what they had just done. She was now thinking that she should have recorded their performance and put it on YouTube. But then it dawned on her that they might have wanted to tell her something that bothered them not only as choir-mates, but as friends who cared.

"Yeah, Levy," Natsu said, joining them. He sat on a chair in front of her, with its backrest in front of him. "Are you still going to look like that—?"

"What _Natsu _wanted to say, was," Gray interrupted to avoid misunderstanding, "Are you still going to try to be somebody else?"

Levy giggled, "I guess this worried you all a lot, didn't it?"

"It _did_!" Lucy chirped.

"But Gajeel was worried most of all," Natsu teased in a sorry tone, looking at Gajeel who just sat at the corner. The bassist only grimaced at him and looked away, drinking from the water bottle in his hand.

"He _was_," Gray agreed in a more mature way. "In fact, _he _was the one who arranged the mash-up we just sang."

"Really?" exclaimed Levy, surprised. "I didn't know he listens to Selena Gomez!"

"Oh, he does!" Natsu confirmed. "He listens to Taylor Swift, too!"

"_And _Christina Aguilera," Gray added.

"And SNSD…" Salamander pouted.

"Shut up! I do _not _listen to SNSD!" Gajeel denied hotly, stomping his feet as he stood up.

"Hey, you can _talk_!" Natsu joked.

"Whatever…" he mumbled and started to head out, "I should just tie you on Erza's car later on."

"Wait, Gajeel-san!" Levy said, catching up to him in one breath.

"What?"

"Th-Thank you," she said courageously, trying hard to stop her voice from shaking.

Gajeel looked at her for one moment before ruffling her hair, "Just don't believe anything that Cheney says… He's a _liar_…"

"But…" she started, "But thanks to that… I finally proved something I've been trying to deny all along…"

"What?"

"You…" she said boldly, "You like me, too…"

"_What_?!" Lucy exclaimed from behind her, "I do _not _like where this is going! Gajeel-san, get your claws off of Levy—!"

"Come, Natsu," Gray said to his pink-haired companion and grabbed Lucy's right arm, "I think there's a nice place just outside the campus that sells udon. Do you want to try it?"

"Well, I normally wouldn't like to go with you but just this once I will," Natsu replied, taking Lucy's left arm. The two lads dragged her and let themselves out, leaving Levy and Gajeel inside the room.

Once alone, Levy spoke again, "I… _like _you… Gajeel-kun…"

Gajeel clicked his tongue and smirked as if it was normal for Levy to say those words, "So you move from saying 'san' to 'kun', huh? You're _scary_…"

"I know I've said this before but… I really like you…"

"_Don't_…" Gajeel emphasized, serious now. "Your friend is right, wherever you're going with this, it's not good."

"I know…" Levy said, "Crazy, right? But I think… Somewhere inside you, you like me, too."

"Where is all that boldness coming from, huh?" Gajeel laughed jokingly. Levy laughed, too.

"But just think," she started, "Why else would you arrange a song and sing it for me with the others? It's not like you were _forced _to do this, right? I don't think _anyone_ can force you to do this."

Gajeel said nothing.

"I know it's strange to hear this from someone like me, but… Do you want to give it a shot?" she asked shyly, but hopefully.

"Give _what _a shot?"

"… Us…"

"Oh…" he grunted, unable to utter a proper reply.

When he didn't speak, Levy only took a deep breath. She was sure now that somewhere in him, he _liked _her. And not just like her; _like _her. And he couldn't express it; just like he had difficulty expressing every other gentle emotion in the world. This didn't bother her though. It was good enough for her to know that he cared. That is always a good place to start.

"So—"

"Where do I start?" he suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"_If_…" he started and looked away, outside the window, "If I wanted to give it a shot… Where… Where would I start?"

"…" Levy was shocked at his words and couldn't utter one herself. Was this Gajeel? And was he _really _trying to do what she _thinks _he's trying to do?

"Well?" he said, somewhat bashfully, "I don't have all day!"

"We can start with this," Levy said gently and held out her hand to him. Gajeel only looked at it and then looked at her. "Come on, take it…"

He grunted but then took it anyway.

Levy smiled. Tomorrow, she would have to put her two-kilogram wig away. She would have to hide the new B-cups she had just bought. She would have to look for ointment on her burning rash, and she would have to be ignored by the people who adored her because she changed. But it's alright; because all that didn't matter anymore. Because right now, she was in her moment—and she wouldn't need to change just to enjoy the moments to come, would she?

_No_, _I don't think I would_, she smiled happily.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **It's summer and yet I still seem to be very busy. Why is that?!

**NOTE: **The songs used for this chapter are the following: (1) **Just the Way You Are **by Bruno Mars, (2) **Who Says **by Selena Gomez, (3) **Perfect **by Pink, (4) **What Makes You Beautiful **by One Direction, and (5) **I Can Wait Forever **by Simple Plan.

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws: _**Coolkat88, iMary7, xXhelenahillXx, Rokudosatoshi, Redbear108, Fairy-Clive-tail, xsasuhinax, PRiNCESS SLAYER o1o, Celestial-Mage231, Emma D. Silver, IcyCrystal252, StarryPanda, JazzC20, rosesterling100, AyakaHeartfullbuster, xxxBebeBiatchxxX, Dorchet, Bloody lily of a new world, SasuNaru0158, Lucyheartfilla, MayuriSakura12, xxHoshinoSoraxx, shadow-dea, Shorty333, Jannie Mhae, juliazhu20, iLoveFairytaiLz**_

_Reviews:__** IloveCelestialIce, animeaddict8, Misty (guest: 04/03/2013), Psyka (guest: 04/02/2013), phantomhive19 (who was too lazy to log in... hahaha!), Nabz (guest: 03/31/2013), LittleWonderland, Cal-Kitty, dianaloveanime, Grayluisawesome, LittleWonderland, Lucyheartfilla, horsejumper88, strawberry1021, BlackPoppy.0, FallingStar93, 1fairytaillover, rosesterling100, jdcocoagirl, Le' CarolinnaXannej421 , guest (04/12/2013),**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**_


	27. Chapter 25

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **It's finally time for GraLu again! THANK YOU for being ever-so patient with me. Just a bit of fluff; nothing heavy or anything like that… Let's take it s-l-o-w… Yeah~!

**PS: **I'm on **300 REVIEWS **and like, WOW! That's just amazing! Thank you guys so much.

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE-**_  
__Where Lucy thinks that Gray is a vampire._

"Two udon originals, a Jalapeno udon order and a glass of iced tea…"

The waitress took one last look at Gray, who tipped his cap lower, before going out of the small four-meter-squared cubicle. Once out of sight, Gray took off his disguise and happily rubbed his palms to warm them.

"Is it me or is it getting _really_ cold in here?" he said.

Lucy, who sat in front of him, simply shrugged and took a slow, small sip of her iced tea. "…Must be raining outside…"

The singer carefully started on his udon meal, eyeing Lucy. After spending a bit more time together, the two had been closer than they were before but unfortunately for Gray, he wasn't used to handling awkward silences with the girl—and this was one of those.

"Hey… You're been awfully quiet since Natsu left…" he finally said, mentioning his bandmate. Earlier, Natsu had to go on ahead due to an urgent phone call from his mother, leaving Gray and Lucy to enjoy his order…and the bill.

"No, I wasn't," she denied and started eating her udon meal, too. "So, uhm… What do you think was the matter with him?"

"Who, _Natsu_?" he replied, "Not sure. But I'm sure he'll be fine. He's been acting that way when his mother calls him recently."

"Oh… Wonder why…" she said. Another pause was heard and Lucy felt the urge to keep their conversation going, "So, um… Senpai… How's training with Jellal-senpai going?"

"Pretty good, I guess," he replied, "I'm still practicing my breathing and extending my range…"

"That's good, then," Lucy said, impressed, "It's only been, what? Two weeks?"

"Almost…"

"Impressive…"

"…" The slurping sound Gray made as he enjoyed his noodles filled the small space around them. Despite the noise outside the cubicle from the other customers, the noise of the silence between them seemed to be louder. "And… How's the thing with Jellal…?"

"Thing…? _Oh_…" she said, looking up to him in awe, "_That_ thing."

"Yeah, _that_ thing," Gray said, almost laughing as he moved his eyebrow up and down. "How's it going?"

Lucy pouted her lips as her eyes looked up to the ceiling. "Frankly, I don't think it's still here… I mean, I don't feel anything anymore…"

"Really?" Gray's heart did a sudden somersault and he smiled proudly, "Is that supposed to be a good thing?"

"I honestly don't know," the girl chuckled in reply. "But I guess it's kind of relieving because now I can talk to him like he's my brother… as before, you know?"

"_Yeah_," he said and taking a mouthful of noodles in his mouth, "Then that means we're back to the incest thing..?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha," she said sarcastically, hitting him on the head with her chopsticks, "So how's the _thing _with Mira, then?"

Gray only sighed and frowned at her, "There's no chance for me with a girl like her so I think I'll pass…"

Lucy chuckled grimly at him. "Wow… There's actually a girl too much for the '_great_' Gray-sama…!"

The brunette rolled his eyes and finished his bowl of udon. He shivered as he sighed in relief, "Warm noodles really warm you up! I mean, it's _really _cold in here!"

"I feel it now," she said and shivered. She pushed her bowl away, apparently finished. "I think it really _is _raining outside!"

"Hey, what are we going to do with Natsu's order?" Gray asked, "It'd be a waste if we leave it like this."

"Guess it'd be a waste to just leave it like this but," Lucy looked down on her stomach and pouted, "What's this going to do to my figure?"

"Nah, don't think about that anymore," Gray said and put the steaming bowl of udon at the center of the table. He, then, took a long strand of noodles from the bowl and said, "If you want I'd give you diet pills after this…"

"But I don't _take _diet pills—!"

"Fu—My God!"

Lucy was interrupted as she spoke when Gray suddenly sprayed udon broth on her face with his face all red and starting to sweat.

"What the heck is with this udon? It's like I'm eating _fire_!" he said picking ice from Lucy's drink and munching on it. "I feel like my tongue is going to melt like ice cream!"

The blonde wiped the liquid on her face, and was now wiping her eyes, wet with tears from the spicy liquid Gray sprayed on it. "_O-ow_..."

"Hey, you okay?" her companion asked, hesitating to hold her hand and see the 'damage' for himself.

"_You _try getting your eyes sprayed with spicy hot liquid…! We'll see how _you _like it!" she said and pushed his hand away. "Oww…"

"Le'mme see that," Gray said and moved beside her. He moved her hands aside, a very pissed Lucy struggling, and saw that she could hardly open her eyes. "Your eyes were hit..?"

"What do you think, _genius_?" Lucy said angrily and hit him in the face. She was able to open her eyes slightly and see Gray about just half a foot away from her face. "_What are you doing_?!"

The girl kicked him away from her. "Yeah, you're welcome…" he said to her. He put his hands on her face and continued, "I'm just trying to help… Does everything I do seem bad to you?"

Lucy bit her lower lip, embarrassed. "Sorry…"

"Don't mention it…" he said, his hands still on her face. By then, Lucy realized that they were really cold, as if they were frozen.

"Senpai, are you cold?" she said, grabbing his hands and holding them with her warm ones.

"Not anymore thanks to that Jalapeno udon. Why?"

"You're hands are, like, _super cold_," she said and suddenly remembering a certain character from a fiction novel, "You're not a vampire, are you?"

"My hands are naturally cold," he said, "So don't think I'm anything like Edward Cullen."

"Oh," she said, "I only noticed now that your hands are this cold…"

"Yeah, well… They don't call me 'Snowman' for nothing…" he chuckled.

"_Do _they?"

"Well, no… But Natsu does… _sometimes_," he said. "So, are we going to finish this bowl..?"

"It's too hot so I would say no, but… It's really such a waste…" the girl said in contemplation.

"Yeah, it is…" agreed Gray, also thinking really hard, "I'd totally go for this if I have a dam of really cold water to cool me down…"

"Me, too… I think…"

The brunette was just looking at the scary-looking bowl in front of them. Then, he felt cold again… _Must be the rain_, he thought, _that's a lot of water_.

He stopped then made a contented face before chuckling to himself.

"What?" asked Lucy.

"No, you're not up for it," he said and completely changed his mind.

"Why? What is it…?"

"_Well_…"

* * *

_"Oh, my God_!" Lucy exclaimed, running around and slurping the cold air around her. By then, she could no longer feel her tongue and simply opened her mouth to catch the icy-cold raindrops to cool them down. This seemed to help as her flaming tongue was somehow cooled down, along with the rest of her body as she was completely drenched in rain.

"Great idea, right?" Gray said, fanning his face. He was also drenched in the rain and he sseemed to be enjoying it, too.

"Not the smartest idea I've ever heard but definitely one of the most amusing," she said. She held both her thumbs to him and then wiped the heavy rain coming down on her pretty face.

The singer tipped his cap low. "Are you sure you're alright with being drenched in the rain like this?"

She nodded. "I'm okay with this. I've always wanted to go running in the rain again after a long time."

"H-Haven't we all?" he said, flushing and averting his eyes. Then, he took the coat of his uniform and draped it in front of Lucy. "But you might want to go home now. Your, uh… Your wet blouse is sticking to your skin, so…"

The blonde wrapped her arms around herself and used Gray's coat to cover her body. It was a very cold and heavy garment but underneath she was feeling feverish, with the butterflies in her stomach once again on the loose. "R-Right, I should be getting home now…"

"Yeah, let's go and get you home now…" Gray said and took her by the shoulder to lead her home.

* * *

"Hime-sama, the clothes you gave me to wash are dry now. Where do you want me to put them?" Virgo stood at the foot of Lucy's bed and held in her hands poo-colored uniforms, fresh from the laundry.

"Just put it on my bed and I'll take care of it later," Lucy replied and finished drying her hair. "Thank you, Virgo."

"Do you want to punish me?" the maid asked, "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, this is everything, Virgo. Thank you," the blonde replied and watched Virgo go out of her room.

Brushing her hair, Lucy's eyes trailed to the uniform on her bed. _Guess there was a side of him that was cool_, she thought, remembering Gray's actions that day.

"_What_…?"

The girl flushed deep red when she caught herself smiling, her hands gently travelling on the collar of Gray's uniform. Immediately, she withdrew her hand and gave herself a mental scolding. She's _not _supposed to react like that when reminiscing. She's _not_—!

_Nothing lasts forever_

_But the love she remembers so clear—_

Lucy almost jumped at the sound of her own ring tone. Picking up her phone to answer it, she sighed. _I must be nuts_.

"Hello? Lucy Heartfilia, speaking…"

"Oh, hello, Lucy," said an awfully irking, yet familiar male voice, "Are you free any this coming Saturday?"

"Uh… I _think _I am but can I first know who this is?" she asked.

"Well… I'm absolutely downcast," the man said, "Just two days of not seeing each other and you forget me already?"

"_Who _is this…? 'Coz I'm not in the mood for prank calls—"

"This is _Sting Eucliffe_, sweetheart," he finally declared. "And I'm asking you if you're free on Thursday…"

"Oh," Lucy exhaled. "Erm… I think I am, why?"

"_That's just great_!" Sting exclaimed excitedly, "Because there's an important part in our upcoming MV that I _really _want you to play. You up for it?"

"Uh…" Somehow, Lucy's eyes travelled back to Gray's uniform folded nicely at the foot of her bed, "G-Give me time to think about it… I'll, uh… I'll call you back…"

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **_**NOT **_as good as I wanted it to be… Tsssss… : ( (

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws: _**rangerswood, kjayanimefan, Coldwinters, kaykay692, ZerefinaCheney, Hikari Dollie, UniPegSama, GoldenRoseTanya, .566, BonnieJerry**_

_Reviews:__** horsejumper88, rangerswood, dianaloveanime, phantomhive19, Rockin' angels, BlackPoppy.0, snowdrop03, WolfieANNE, 1fairytaillover, Psyka (guest: 04/19/2013), fairytaillover416, guest (04/19/2013), UniPegSama, Grayluisawesome, GoldenRoseTanya, nabz sam (guest: 04/22/2013), ZerefinaCheney (300th reviewer!)**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**_


	28. SIDE STORY

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **A side story, just to get the GaVy pairing over with. PROCEED. : P

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-SIDE STORY: GAJEEL, LEVY and ROGUE-**_  
__Where Rogue is a tsundere, Levy is an otaku and Gajeel… is in _shock.

It was already six when Gajeel and Levy started to make their way out of the school building. They chose the long, yet deserted route as to not attract attention to themselves because they didn't want to be seen; not that they didn't want to be seen _together_, Gajeel didn't want to be seen them together _holding hands_. Levy, by now, should have suggested that they break grasps. And Gajeel, by now, should be complaining and trash-talking about how dangerous and troublesome it was for them to be doing so. However, in the fragile silence they kept between the two of them as they walked, hand-in-hand, neither did anything. Probably, for the two teens, this was a way of 'getting used' to each other's company—each other's warmth.

Only when they were about to go out of the campus did Gajeel gently break the silence, noticing that Levy had been staring at a strange boy wearing a huge cap leaning on the school gates.

"Somebody you know?" he asked, letting go of her hand and shoving it in his pocket.

"N-No…" the girl replied, putting the hand now freed over her eyes, "I don't think so… But I can somehow feel that he's been staring at us for a while now…"

"He could be a fan," Gajeel commented lazily. "Ignore him."

Forcefully, the brunette grabbed Levy by the arm and started to walk ahead of her. He stared ahead, and yet kept an eye on the mysterious individual they were about to pass by. If he _was _a fan, he'd probably only ask for an autograph, at most; if he _wasn't_… Judging by the enigmatic aura, Gajeel didn't even want to imagine.

"Gajeel-kun, _wait_—!"

"So your tactic worked, huh?" said the boy and Gajeel stopped right in front of him.

The bassist tried to look at his face; but the cap was so wide-brimmed that it only revealed his lips, which were bent to the side, showing off a small dimple on his cheek: a dimple that Gajeel recognized as a striking detail of an acquaintance.

"_Cheney_…" he snarled in a small voice and looked at Levy, who was also surprised.

Rogue looked up at him, then at Levy, and smiled. "You don't seem to be too happy to see me… Even though I was the one who _indirectly _gave you the idea of changing your looks to suit Gajeel's tastes."

"I…"

"What do you want, Cheney?" Gajeel snapped, interrupting Levy. His voice was calm, yet his gaze was strong and strict, as if laser beams would come from them and pass right through Rogue's eyeballs.

"I was expecting to come and find this girl lonely," he said, walking towards Levy in confidence, "Thought I'd ask her out on a date after you're done dumping her."

"And?" the other lad asked him.

"Well I was just kind of hoping to give her some sort of fan service from Sabertooth," he continued, his insult now seeping through every word, "You know… That even girls as unattractive as her can date someone of _our_ status.

"But seeing you two together… it's a bit disappointing, really. Didn't know you had it in you," he continued, looking at Gajeel, now. "I _am _still interested in dating her, though. What do you say, Gajeel—?"

_Slap_!

Gajeel's eyes widened when Levy had beat him to Rogue's left cheek. She was staring at him intently; not with anger, but _pity_ as it seemed to Gajeel.

"_Stop it_…" Levy reprimanded him. "Stop this."

"Woah…" Gajeel managed to whisper at the sight.

"I-If you have a lot of spare time, why don't you use it to practice instead of just coming out here and insulting girls? It's _pathetic_, really," Levy said the gentlest manner one could imagine. Rogue could only stare at her. "I-I _know _you're only using me to get close to Gajeel-kun…"

"_What_?!" Rogue exclaimed, blushing, "What are you—?"

"I know about you," Levy said, worry in her voice. "You're Reyos*, right? You were a Phantom trainee before…"

"_How did you know about that_?!" Rogue asked, his cheeks tainted pink. He looked so cute by then that what was left of Levy's anger evaporated into thin air.

"I know how much you look up to Gajeel-kun…"

"He does?" Gajeel exclaimed.

"Back then, you two were pretty close, right?"

"We _were_?!"

"I can understand that you want to hang out with him again… knowing how much you idolize him, you probably don't want to show him the obedient and innocent Reyos from before, right?

"But Rogue-san, you're _already_ a rising superstar—the same as Gajeel-kun…" she said, smiling enthusiastically at him, "You don't need not be someone tough and cool; you just need to be yourself…

"That's… something I also learned just now…" Levy smiled gratefully, "And yes, _indirectly_, you _did _help me figure it out so thank you."

An awkward silence followed thereafter; Rogue took a step back out of embarrassment as Levy stared at him. Gajeel was in complete shock and amazement as to how and why Levy knew so much about his past. Levy, on the lighter note, was thinking of the shoujo manga she had just read the other day and was thinking how much Rogue resembled one of the 'tsundere' bishounen characters.

"Y-You don't know _anything_…" He was pretending to be calm as he smiled, but he started massaging his palms and biting his lower lip which showed that Levy had somehow made her point.

"You still bite your lips and press your palms when you're stressed," Gajeel snickered, "Really, have you even grown up, Reyos?"

Rogue clenched his fists, "_How dare you call me—_?!" By then he was already defeated… and _definitely _pissed.

"Hey," Gajeel interrupted and took something from his wallet. Then, he held out a small card to Rogue between his index and middle finger, "The Phantom guys and I meet up at the old place once in a while. If you want to come hang with us, just give me a call…"

Rogue, his whole body trembling, immediately swiped the card out of Gajeel's hand and turned around, "I'm not the kid who used to follow you around anymore and I'm not Reyos now. I'm _Rogue_ of Sabertooth, _got that_?!"

"Yeah, yeah… Go home, kid," Gajeel ordered lazily.

"_I'll get back at you for this_!" he said, immediately running away. Both Levy and Gajeel stared at his retreating back as he ran farther and farther until he could no longer be seen.

Levy chuckled, blushing.

"What's so funny?" Gajeel asked her.

"Don't you think Rogue was prettycute?" she asked, "He was _just _like a bishounen from a manga I had recently read… So innocent, so pure and so… _proud_!"

"So you're not just a _stalker_, you're an otaku, too?" Gajeel commented.

"Is that bad?" she asked.

"But how did you know about me and the kid?"

"Oh, that," Levy explained, "I sort of… _had friends with whom I followed Phantom around with_..?"

"Che," Gajeel smirked, "You were _that_ hard-core, eh? I wonder if you have friends with whom you follow _Fairy Tail _with…?"

* * *

*****Those who have read the manga will know that Rogue's real name is Reyos. So _no_, I did _not _make this name up and it's **_still _credited to Hiro Mashima-sensei.**

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**_


	29. Chapter 26

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **I've been lazing around lately… I'm awake for only about 10 hours a day and sleep the rest of the hours, which doesn't really help with my imagination… But _then _I've been reading to get in the mood and, _hey_! It works like magic! My heart is full of love right now that I'm so pumped. Aren't you? Anyway, here we go with an ultra long chapter. Enjoy!

**PS: **Mother's Day is close, isn't it? I wonder what gift I'll be giving to my mom… *runs and checks wallet… Meanwhile, go on and read the chapter…*

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX-**_  
__Where Gray just might have something against sportscars._

It was a large and comfy room, really. The almost royal furniture bought from or made by no one but the best and most expensive of stores. The cream-and-yellow walls blanketed the whole of the space in beige light. The grand chandelier hung at the center atop the huge desk like it was made of long crystal slabs. Behind the desk was a glass wall that showed the view from the twentieth storey: a mosaic of multi-colored lights. Indeed, it was an office where one could be at ease and feel at home. And yet Sting had no idea why it was so stuffy… so _suffocating_.

Five people were gathered around a small rectangular table. At one end of the table just in front of the office desk, was a solo couch, its leather cover beautifully polished. On it sat a huge man with hair aged to a neat hue of white that ran down his face, creating a mask-like beard. His eyes were strong and strict and Sting really didn't know why despite him not having visible irises, nobody thought it strange—or maybe nobody just dared to comment on that. This man sat in a regal fashion, his legs crossed and his arms resting on the chair's armrests like a mafia boss, his figure clothed with a beautiful gray suit ironed simply to perfection.

Beside him stood his secretary—a voluptuous woman with sleek black hair in a white suit, as expected of someone in her position. She had eyes that slanted femininely upward her round face and a smile that Sting couldn't tell whether it was friendly or just plain menacing. She was holding a clipboard on her arm the way nurses hold theirs and would once in a while glance at the other three who sat on the couches on both sides of the table.

Sting glanced from Minerva, secretary and daughter to the owner of their company, to his two bandmates who sat opposite him. Rogue was stone-faced as ever but Sting knew that behind that mask was a boy whimpering in fear at the stare of their President. At least, Sting thought, he hid his fear more that the girl beside him: Yukino, their female bassist. The snowy-haired Sabertooth was practically _shaking _as she tried to calm herself by locking her fingers together.

After being in the same situation for the millionth time, the platinum blonde wondered why Yukino was still so incapable of controlling her emotions. It wasn't that he himself wasn't scared; it was just that he was so used to the unfriendly atmosphere the President's office had that he could try and pretend it wasn't there.

"We are on to propel your careers to its peak," their president said loudly but plainly. Sting saw Yukino flinch at his words. "In a few days, we _will _make our move."

The huge man breathed and moved his hands to his knee in order to clasp them together. He turned his almost nonexistent neck to look at the teens in front of him. "And I _expect _that you steal away the top spot from all other ambitious competitors.

"_However_," he boomed, and Sting did _not _like the way he did so, "I'm having doubts as to your ability to meet my expectations…"

"Master, we—"

"Tell me, Sting," the massive man interrupted and glared at the lean guitarist, ''How does one steal the top spot from others?"

"I…" _By doing our best_, his mind said aloud, almost popping the veins at his temples. But his mouth was a cowardly, uncooperative muscle in the presence of their master.

"There are two ways, really," the man answered when the other three couldn't, "One is to be the best at what you do. Gnaw and claw your way to the top, train everyday and push yourself to your breaking point. Extend your horizon and shake off any extra baggage such as fear, discouragement and affection. Focus at the peak and slowly pave your way there."

There was a pregnant pause. The man's words were genius and simply eloquent. The three were left pondering, apparently inspired. Then, he continued, "The second is this… _Destroy anyone who gets in your way_. Crush them and extract all hope they have of ever progressing until they give up on the race."

Three pairs of eyes, wide as saucers, shot up at their President, who had a mad grin on his lips under the moustache. "Pluck off the wings of those who behind and ahead of you. Shoot them down so that the plummet helplessly to the ground; and when they do," he pounded the table with a fist the size of bowling balls, "Trample on them, grind them and leave them in your dust."

The poor table now fashioned a small crack. Sting gulped at the monstrous strength the old man held; but was even more intimidated by the merciless statement that had slapped across his face and drummed in his ears. This man, president of Minerva Entertainment, wasn't out to win; he was out to _kill_.

"Do you understand, _brats_?" he asked and pounded the table again for emphasis. There was only silence, apparently a 'yes' from the frightened teens; the man drew back his hand and contentedly reclaimed his initial position, his arms on the armrests.

"In two days," the secretary said in a mid-ranged voice, "You will be meeting with the directors, the producers and the staff for the filming of your music video. Since the recording was over and done with, the MV is all we need before we can proceed with the photoshoot for you album jacket."

"W-Which song will be used in the video?" Yukino asked meekly. She tried to speak boldly, only to have her voice fail her.

"Flutter Field," Minerva replied aristocratically, "We decided it was time you try on a drama-type MV. It would be good practice for your versatility."

"Flutter Field's theme is one of teenage summer love," Rogue commented and looked up at Minerva, "That means we'll be taking less mature roles which makes the video quite comparable to the one Fairy Tail is working on."

The mention of their rival band brought a smirk to Minerva's pale face.

"True," she said, "And that is also another reason why I insisted on Flutter Field in the first place. If you do a better job than Fairy Tail at with the music video, you will undoubtedly be one step ahead of them. All that's left to do now is to annihilate them by grabbing them by the tail and pummelling them to the ground."

"What are you saying, milady?" Sting finally spoke up. He hadn't realized how his eyebrows were now creased and meeting to make one, furry line.

"Not saying… I'm _suggesting_," she said, malice in her voice. She looked straight into Sting's eyes so hotly that it could slice the air between them, "Find out as much as you can about Fairy Tail, anything helpful from our perspective, and use it to your advantage. Any bit of information is worth mentioning to us."

"We're talking about _sabotage_, aren't we?" Rogue said between gritted teeth, his hands closed so tightly into fists that they turned white. Sting couldn't blame his friend; Rogue was acquainted with a member of Fairy Tail, someone he respected and looked up to like a brother.

"What you call sabotage," Minerva argued, "We call _survival tactics_. This is show business, Rogue. You don't have time to be merciful and kind. _Kill or be killed_: _that's_ how things go here."

"Sting," their President said after a tense silence, "You're the leader so I leave you in-charge. We ourselves will be working in the background but with your…" the man tried to find the proper word, "…_abilities_, it should be easier for you to find useful information."

"Y-Yes, sir," he complied somewhat hesitantly.

"Don't worry because you will be protected," the man promised. Sting gave a courageous affirmative response.

"Now off you go," Minerva said. "We still have to find a female lead for the music video."

"Yukino's not going to do it?" Rogue asked and looked at the girl beside him.

"We didn't think it would do your image any good if we pair Sting with Yukino," Minerva said, "We need someone who can match Sting's persona completely. _Someone _Sting hasn't dirtied his fingers on yet."

The guitarist gave a small chuckle, both elated and insulted at Minerva's words. How he wished he could tell those women he was only being ordered to do what he had done to them; how absolutely sick he was to the stomach at whatever he said or did that would probably stain them for life; how he himself was haunted and almost driven mad by his 'abilities' in flirting and smooth-talking. He was _sorry_, but it was part of his bargain to continue his passion for music.

But now he wondered if that was worth it anymore.

_Good luck finding someone clueless enough to play a part with me, _he thought to himself. That girl would probably have to be someone who didn't know Sting; which was a challenge considering he is a star whose poster is pinned up on the walls of every fangirl—

"I might… _know _someone who can play the part…" Sting suddenly said, remembering blonde hair and dark chocolate eyes, "But I'm not sure if she'll concede."

"You rarely suggest anyone," Minerva commented. "But I'll trust you in this one since you were the one who suggested Yukino to us in the first place. Are you comfortable with this girl, though?"

"Yes," he said. 'Comfortable' was an understatement. He barely knew the blonde but he was feeling very at ease with her. It was as if the girl had a talent for overlooking the fact that he was a famous singer and just treat him like he was as normal as the last teenager. That_ and she is Layla Heartfilia's daughter_. He smiled as he remembered the image of another blonde woman who was practically Sting's first love, he was around eight then.

"Well, as long as it isn't too much trouble," she said and waved her hand to dismiss them. "We'll see you here on Thursday at seven. I expect the girl to be there, Sting."

Sting raised his thumb and didn't even bother to look at them or say goodbye. The next thing he knew, he was dialling on his phone for a certain blonde he had just met a few days back.

Sting breathed in deeply. He was palpitating like crazy. It must have been the coffee.

"Hello? Lucy Heartfilia, speaking…" she said.

Sting's heart did a backflip and a wave dance before it beat even faster, making him gasp for air. It _could _have been the coffee.

_Or _it could have been her voice.

* * *

The sun melted halfway into the horizon and left the orange sky with thin patches of pink, purple and gray clouds. Students eager to finally be freed from the prison they call school started to leave the premises, turning the once populated establishment into nothing but an almost-deserted building, now lit orange in the sunset. There weren't many people there anymore, save for the janitors, some teachers and a few students who were still doing a few things back in their classrooms.

One student, in particular, was a golden-haired teenager, her chocolate orbs reflecting the beautiful sunset, as she had carefully and meticulously arranged her books and other things in her bag. Lucy was particularly concerned with the way her things were arranged according to their size, color, and shape; so much so that she had been trying to arrange her bag for the last ten minutes now, seemingly unsatisfied. Gladly, though, after all that effort, she finally smiled at her handiwork and gave herself a congratulatory nod before closing her slingbag and hanging it diagonally on her upper body.

Lucy, then, took out her cellphone and looked at the time it was showing: 6:02PM. She didn't make any reactions, not a smile nor a grunt, but only remained flat-faced as if she was disinterested. The blonde shoved the phone back into her skirt pocket and headed out of the room, towards the stairs. It was Thursday today, so that meant that there were no choir sessions. Thursday was a day Jellal had reserved to train Fairy Tail alone and no one dared question him on that. With these thoughts in mind, Lucy walked on.

It wasn't until she was already near the school gates that she'd finally encountered another living being, _beings_, actually, in that deserted area. Fairy Tail had just arrived from somewhere Lucy didn't really know and were stepping out of a white van with tinted windows.

Lucy stopped from a considerable distance as she watched them; Natsu was the one who went out first, as energetically as a hyperactive child on cola. Next was Gajeel who had his eyebrows knitted together in a considerable grimace, as usual. Lucy had reminded herself not to despise him as much, so she just considered that look on his face as 'usual'. The last one to leave the van was Gray who had his head turned to the driver, Erza. They were talking about something the blonde couldn't quite hear, but she hypothesized it was undoubtedly about their careers. Once the three of them were off and out, Lucy started walking again.

"…So I'll just pick you guys up at around eight-thirty. We'll grab a quick dinner at some drive-through restaurant before we go to the studio," the teen heard Erza, a beautiful red-head with a strong gaze, say. The woman was about to say something again when she caught sight of the blonde. "Hey, Lucy! Glad to see you…"

The blonde's ears perked at the sound of her own name and looked at Erza, a friendly smile on her face. "Hey, Erza-san. Glad to see you, too…"

"Hey, Lucy!" came Natsu's high-pitched voice in the same goofy smile. Was it Lucy or does Natsu seem… _stressed_? Putting it out of her mind, Lucy returned the greeting and gave the Salamander a high-five. Gray nodded at her in acknowledgement and Gajeel grunted at her as a greeting.

"Is he there yet?" asked Gray and gestured to the fourth floor, talking about Jellal.

"I don't know, senpai," Lucy replied, "I didn't go there today."

"Odd," commented the pink-haired drummer, "You usually spend your free time there."

"Today's just different," the girl simply said. "Anyway, he should probably be there by now. He's not really the type to be late."

"True," came Gajeel's deep grunt. "Let's get going…" Natsu and Gray agreed.

"Lucy, do you want me to take you home?" Erza offered to the girl.

"Uhm… No, thanks… I still have somewhere I need to go before heading back home…"

"Oh… I can give you a lift—"

"N-No, Erza! There's no need, really…"

_Beep! Beep!_

As if synchronized, a car's horn followed Lucy's statement and a shiny, red sportscar was parked right behind Erza's van. All five of them immediately gawked at the undeniably sexy machine that brought any other car to shame. Who could be riding that thing? What kind of air-headed show-off parked it right in front of Lucy?

Slowly but surely, the red car's tinted window rolled down and revealed a platinum blond head with a suggestive smirk on his face; Lucy also added that he looked somewhat _off_, the kind of look one would have when they're in pain or motion sick. The girl heaved a nervous sigh.

"Get in," he said to Lucy and leaned over to the passenger seat to open the door for her.

"Well, I'll be going now," the girl smiled as she turned around and bowed to the company behind her. "See you guys…"

"Y-Yeah… See you…" said Natsu, unsure of what to say.

Then, they watched as Lucy gracefully walked towards the open door, went in and closed it behind her, before the windows rolled back up and hid Lucy from plain sight. A few more seconds and the car gave an almost mocking beep before skidding out of the school gates and out of their sight.

"What… just happened?" Natsu asked, trying to stop his jaw from falling. "Did Lucy just—! With _Sting Eucliffe_—! And a sportscar! A _red _sportscar!"

"Leave it," argued Gray impatiently, pretending not to care. He turned away by his heel and made his way into the room, "It's none of our concern anymore…"

As soon as he said this, Gray took out his mobile phone and started to type away, rather furiously. _I hate sportscars_, he thought as he clenched his teeth.

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **This chapter turned out to be longer than I originally planned so I had to cut it in half. The next chapter will probably be more interesting *winks*. Anyway, I figured that I wasn't giving Sting's character any justice, turning him into a bad guy when he's such a nice and gentle spirit. So I added his segment just to show us a glimpse of his life and why he acts the way he does. It ended up with a bit too dramatic, though. What do you guys think? Drop me a line or PM me. Nothing helps you improve more than a friendly, constructive criticism.

See you in the next chapters! ^^

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws: _**xxHoshinoSoraxxxxHoshinoSoraxx, RandomName316, GrayxLucy-supportah, XxHergienLavanderxX, mcxynth123, kaileenholic**_

_Reviews:__** xxHoshinoSoraxx, Redbear108, dianaloveanime, Lucyheartfilla, UniPegSama, horsejumper88, Grayluisawesome, BlackPoppy.0, Psyka (guest: 04/25/2013), 1fairytaillover, fairytaillover416, GrayxLucy-supportah, LittleWonderland, GoldenRoseTanya, phantomhive19, natpereira**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste **__and __**Massage?**_


	30. Chapter 27

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Time sure flies by, doesn't it? It felt like only a few weeks and now, my vacation is almost over. I hate this feeling of having to use my brain academically again… But, hey. Something good's bound to come out of this, right?

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN-**_  
__Where the elevator is a really awkward place._

_Squeak_!

Lucy bit her lip at the sound that was made when the cloth of her skirt rubbed against the car seat; she paused in embarrassment, the heavy silence inside the car deafening, and just continued to grab the seatbelt buckle to lock it in place. Sitting properly, she glanced at the side mirror and at the reflection of her friends who had a look of surprise and disbelief at the redness of the car she was now in. She didn't blame them, though. She herself was in awe when the car parked in front of her, the orange rays of the sun dramatically exaggerating its elegance.

The girl took a small but deep breath, the lemony scent of air freshener tickling her nose in such a way that she relaxed and immediately laid her back on the comfortable seat. The car was nicely pleasant and spacious. She simply admired that despite being owned by a busy rookie star, it was neat, clean and well-organized.

The blonde took a quick glance at the backseat and found the dark gray leather covers and the carpeted floor were spick and span, almost new. The same was true for the dashboard, which was covered in a blanket of fox fur, brown, white and black strands coming together to make a layer of skin over the plastic. The fur reminded her so much of those things the fat ladies in her father's company parties have one their necks and she wondered how many animals were skinned to produce such lavish decorations. The emptiness of the car's component caught the girl's attention and sliced through her train of thought. There was nothing on it except for a few pens, some notebooks, a small voice recorder and a modest number of CDs held together by bookends shaped like guitars that were all arranged near the driver's side. Finally—and this surprised Lucy the most—she caught sight of a small, wooden cross hanging on the rear view mirror. It swung from left to right as the car moved and made a sharp turn, heading outside the school gates.

"So..."

_I never really thought this guy was religious_, the girl thought, oblivious to the conversation her blond companion was trying to start.

"—in Sabertooth's upcoming MV...?"

The girl's observations and musings were interrupted when a porcelain hand, skin glowing orange in the sunlight, was held out and adjusted the rear view mirror she was looking at. The long, almost feminine fingers pushing the square mirror a wee bit downward.

"H-Huh..?"

Lucy traced the hand and her gaze landed on Sting, who was looking at the rear view mirror through half-drooping eyes. He was wearing a thin, navy blue sweater under a clean white shirt that hung almost loosely over his thin figure. His khaki pants barely hugged the athletic muscles of his legs.

She wasn't sure if she'd already thought of this but he looked kind of tired to Lucy; either tired or sick, she couldn't tell. But despite this, he was smiling generously at the reflection on the solid silver pool.

_Starstruck_, Sting immediately diagnosed at Lucy's lack of acknowledgement. He'd seen in it a lot of times before, whenever he would let girls ride with him in that devil of a machine.

He ran his digits through platinum gold strands of hair before resting it back on the wheel, making a careful clockwise turn on it. He had to drive slowly or he'll throw up for sure; he has never been good around vehicles and would usually be motion-sick if he's not careful.

"I said, 'I take it you didn't tell them you would be participating in Sabertooth's upcoming MV?'" Sting replayed the memory once more in his mind: wide-eyed stares from the three singers; the drummer's widely-gaped mouth, Redfox's grimace and Fullbuster's blank look of defeat... defeat _and_ jealousy. Sweet, _sweet_ victory. He wasn't a really evil soul but those looks from three other guys because of one girl can really swell up a guy's ego—especially that look on Fullbuster... _Priceless_.

The blond beside him, her hair a more saturated color of gold, pursed her lips and breathed out slowly. "No," she said and laid her elbow on the window. With her hand, she played with her locks and swept some strands of it on her naturally pink cheeks. "I didn't think it was necessary..."

Sting smirked, "Why not? Aren't you guys in terms where you tell each other what you do?"

The female only shrugged, "I didn't think they needed to know about it... We're friends but it's not like they have a list of rules of what I can and can't do..."

"They looked pretty surprised, though. Won't they be mad at you for just being with me? Or maybe _curious_ at the very least?"

"Naah, they'd only be curious at most. I don't think they're the type to nag about where I'm going, why I'm with you and what I'd be doing."

"Really?" Sting asked doubtfully, not taking his eyes off the road.

"_Definitely_," she insisted with confidence.

A buzz on her pocket alarmed the girl and she took out her phone from her pocket. She arched an eyebrow in disbelief at her senpai's text:

_Where are you going? Why did he pick you up? What's his business with you? I don't trust him._

* * *

_'Cause we lost it all_

_Nothing lasts forever_

_I'm sorry, I can't be perfect_

_Now it's just too late_

_And we can't go back_

_I'm sorry, I can't be perfect_

"Okay, stop! Stop!"

There was an abrupt pause inside the music room and three pairs of eyes shot up to stare at a cerulean-haired man. He slowly stood up from the stool beneath the drum set and crossed his arms to look back at the teenage stars in front of him. He pinched the cymbal to his left to stop it from vibrating and creating a much-needless noise.

Natsu was obviously waiting for Jellal's words with the 'what could we have done wrong this time' look on his face, cat-like eyes widening to the size of tennis balls. He had balled his hands into loose fists and raised it to his chest, away from the keyboard he had just been playing before Jellal called for a halt. Today, he didn't play his usual instrument, the drums, as the song called for more of his vocals and the drums would drown his voice if he's too caught up in it so he had to switch. It could be because of this, Natsu thought, that their trainor had stopped them. Had he played the wrong chords?

Gajeel, on the other hand, still had his hands on his bass guitar when he looked at their drummer-slash-voice coach in a look of annoyance. The song was about to end but why did he have to stop them then? Couldn't he have at least let them finish until he had another one of his almighty 'corrections'? He made a quick glance at his watch and realized that it was still a quarter to eight; which means that rehearsals will have to go on for about half an hour more before Erza comes and takes them to a studio where they'll be guesting in a variety show. _Come to think of it, I'd rather spend a hellish evening practicing than in a talk show_, he mused.

Meanwhile, the lead guitarist immediately took out his phone the second Jellal had yelled 'Stop!' He frowned when he saw that there were no new messages, not even one that was in reply to his text a long while ago. _Was she avoiding the topic? Should I just call her?_ Gray's mind couldn't think clearly. He couldn't concentrate on his music; he'd been mocked by the image of Sting with Lucy—and that _sportscar_. He gritted his teeth and a small snarl came out.

Jellal smiled at them gleefully before twirling the drumsticks in his hand and resting them on the surface of the snare drum.

"Great work," he started in a positive energy, much to the trio's surprise, "Natsu, great job on the interpretation and your emotions. But save some of it for the producers to see… And remember to support your voice with your body, _especially _during the high noted."

"Got it…" the Salamander nodded. _So it _wasn't _because I played the wrong chords_! _Thank goodness_!

"Gajeel, a wee bit louder when you harmonize? And go easy on grunting when you sing your solo, if you can. Roughing it up a bit is good but not _too _much… Try to keep it smooth and uniform with Natsu's and Gray's…"

Gajeel mouthed 'whatever' to him and Jellal sighed; despite the teen being like this, he was actually a very nice character who listened to correction. "And _Gray_…"

Gray looked up and almost dropped his phone. He immediately shoved it in his back pocket when he realized that Jellal had been looking at him; phones were strictly banned by the man during rehearsals. "Yeah, I got it…"

"I haven't even said anything yet…" Jellal said, embarrassing Gray. "Anyway, I was about to say that you should try and concentrate a little. Leave all outside matters outside when you're on stage because the stage is a sacred ground for us performers; we don't have rights to make mistakes whilst standing on it.

"_That _and you're back to being the emotionless singing robot…"

The singer dragged a hand across his face and then held out a palm to Jellal, "Sorry… Won't happen again…"

The eldest man walked towards his satchel near the piano, which was on the opposite side of the room, and glanced at his phone. "It's still a bit early but I think you guys have worked hard enough... I heard from Erza you'd be going on 'Starstruck! Live' tonight so I'll give you guys some time to rest and… I'll see you on Saturday…"

"Oh, my gosh, man! Thanks!" Natsu beamed in admiration for Jellal, "I've been dying to get a bite to eat!"

"See ya, coach…" said Gajeel, following Natsu and heading outside the room. Gray, too, walked absentmindedly after him, looking worriedly at his phone.

"Uh, Gray… I'd like to talk to you in private, please?"

"Huh?" An awkward silence was felt and the four of them stood frozen on their spots, with the three teens looking strangely at Jellal while he beamed at the absentminded guitarist. Half a second later, Gajeel and Natsu politely got out of the room and closed the door behind them, leaving the two men in the music room.

"Yeah, what is it about?"

"You seem distracted today…"

"Uhm… This is really awkward for me—"

"What is it about?" Jellal simply beamed widely, his eyes almost disappearing into thin slits on his face, as he leaned on the grand piano, waiting for Gray to talk. The younger man sheepishly made a scratch to his nape.

"Did I…_ seem _distracted?" Gray asked, an eyebrow raised in expectation. Jellal could see the tips of his ears turning red and he thought it was pretty innocent of him.

"_Totally_," the other man replied, "And you seem really preoccupied by your phone… Are you expecting a call?"

"No, I…" Gray stopped for a moment, as if realizing something then continued, "I _was _expecting a text… I think…"

A surge of electricity ran through Jellal's brain and he smiled at Gray, amused. "You really should be working on those emotions you can't bring out when singing…"

Gray only shrugged at this, "I _am _working on it… But I can't seem to be motivated by anything…"

"Well, don't pressure yourself but strive for it slowly but surely," Jellal said and patted Gray's shoulders like an older brother would before turning his back on him to face his satchel. He heard Gray mutter a reluctant 'Thanks' before the singer turned and made his way outside the room, his heels making a soft, tapping noise on the floor.

Just when Gray opened the sliding door, Jellal couldn't hold it in anymore and the excitement in his stomach burst out in the form of words, "She's at Minerva Entertainment, talking about a role for an MV. She might still be there now."

Even with his back turned, Jellal could feel Gray stop, gasp, ponder and then grit his teeth before finally heading out and closing the door behind him—loudly.

When he was sure that the boy had gone out of earshot, Jellal let out a manly chuckle that turned into quite the laughter, making him clutch his stomach.

_About time Gray had felt that important emotion_, he thought. But it was really funny that he had already realized it and Gray hadn't.

* * *

The elevator music was boring as hell and Lucy didn't even know why she didn't just take the stairs. Oh, _right_. She had to go down to the basement all the way from the 27th floor… That can't be too good when you're reading some kind of script and looking at a few drafts and sketches in plain black and white.

So she endured it; endured it like the urge to yawn during History class. And besides, she was really preoccupied with the sheets on her hands: a full-length script (actually, just paragraphs of what she was going to do), some drawings and costumes, and finally, a cheque attached to the contact numbers of everyone she would 'need to contact whenever she needed'.

"So all I have to do is run around a wheat field with you, acting all lovey-dovey?" she asked Sting, who was standing beside her in the elevator. He was very silent now, and the fact that it was just the two of them in that elevator was not helping the tenseness in the air at all.

"Yeah, that's just about right," Sting answered, chuckling. How happy was he that Lucy was too busy looking at the files they've given her to see that he was actually blushing at the thought of what she said.

"That sounds a bit shallow for an MV," she said flatly, "Are people really going to like something as simple as this?"

"They'll like anything that has our faces on it," he replied confidently and chuckled again. That was true and not arrogance.

Lucy let out a 'hmm' and then a sigh before dropping the papers on her side. She looked at the numbers on top of the elevator doors, the number '20' lit up.

"Well, I guess I'll do my best for this, seeing how you were so keen on giving me the role…" she said monotonously. Lucy didn't even look at Sting, but kept looking at the numbers. _19._

"Remember when I said I was with your mother in a broadway?" he suddenly asked and for the first time made Lucy glance at him.

"Yeah?"

"Your role in this MV is pretty much the role she played at that time: an innocent farm girl who enjoys a magical summer vacation."

The girl's face lit up like a Christmas tree and beamed at Sting, "So _that_'s why you wanted me… You're really attached to my mother, aren't you?"

The blond boy blushed and turned down the remark, "I admire Layla-san as much as any artist who worked with her. It's only natural that I give you a glance at what she had experienced before." _18_.

"Are you sure you weren't in love with my mother?" Lucy teased.

"You're really quite the active mind, aren't you?"

"I get that a lot, thanks…" she said and nodded, "So I'll have to download your song tonight just to do some research of my own."

"…Why? Do you only listen to Fairy Tail's songs?"

"…"

_17_.

The two blinked at each other for what seemed like a really long time before they laughed in chorus and Lucy hit Sting on the forehead with the file on her hand.

"Do I seem like the ultimate Fairy Tail fangirl to you?" Lucy asked in between giggles. Her small and feminine laughs were harmonized by Sting's tenor-like chuckling.

"Well, aren't you almost the Fairy Tail mascot or something?" Sting replied, "I mean you guys hang out and everything. I'm surprised the media hasn't put it on the headlines yet."

"Yeah, well… Those guys are really careful, even at school…" she said honestly, "They don't show bias to anyone and treat all of us the same… It just so happens that they're members of the school choir with me…"

"I see… So how are those guys doing with their comeback preparations, eh?"

Lucy stopped mid-laugh and Sting stared at her with a frozen smile on his face.

"Is that also why you wanted me for your MV?" Lucy blurted, "For secret information on Fairy Tail?"

An imaginary anvil hit Sting in the stomach so hard that his legs began to shake. His eyes looked into those chocolate orbs that drowned him in their condemning innocence. That was Lucy's judgement from what he could see in those eyes. He had only had a few minutes of being a good guy and now he's back to being the evil Sabertooth guitarist who plays with girls and steals their first kisses and… well, some other _firsts_.

_10._

_9._

_8._

Lucy was just staring at him, her eyes blank but her eyes speaking a million languages. _Way to go, Sting_, he mentally reprimanded, _now you're just another one of those villains who die in the end_.

_5._

_4._

_3._

A spark in Lucy's eyes ignited and she was back to holding back a laugh again, much to Sting's surprise.

"What?"

"Listen, Sting," she said and composed herself, "If this is about you trying to squeeze out private Fairy Tail information from me, then you're out of luck because _A_, I don't know much about their career plans and _B_, even if I _did _know about them, I won't betray my conscience and tell you…"

"And you're laughing because—?"

"Because you're stupid… What a lowly tactic you have…" she said, "But if that's how you play, go on… Just… don't make too much trouble or I'll personally kick your sorry little butt…"

"You're not… _mad _at me?" he asked, surprised. "You don't think it's a bad plan?"

"Oh, it's a really bad plan… But if you guys are so sure about it, what can I do? I'm just the girl who played a part in your MV..."

"Oh…" he was able to say. Fortunately for him, Lucy was more open-minded than he thought.

_Ping_!

The elevator doors opened and they were about to walk toward the place where Sting had parked his car in the basement when they saw a figure, a panting shadow, leaning on Sting's red vehicle. It was pretty dark in the company basement, much more where the car was parked and so the two had to squint their eyes to see who the figure was.

When they finally got closer, the image was immediately registered in the female blonde's head.

"_Senpai_?" she asked. There was a grunt and Gray got out of the shadows, still catching his breath. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

**WRITER'S BLOCK: **Another long chapter… _ugh! _I had to cut the scenes again because I suck at summarizing… Sorry, guys! Anyway, there was a lot of Sting-Lucy scenes here… I hope I can finally write a GraLu scene in the next chapter… *sigh*

**CREDITS: **The song I used here is "**Perfect**" by Simple Plan. Yeah, you might wanna remember this one… *spoiler aleeeert*

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws: _**lolpanda277, Yasha-Inu, Meenah D. Starcross, Maie02, valkyrie510, XxxxFanfiction LoverxxxX, fairycat01, atashakitty101, Eli77, Neko-chan2604, cagimi**_

_Reviews:__** ILoveCelestialIce, fairytaillover416, 1fairytaillover, UniPegSama, dianaloveanime, horsejumper88, pikaqueen, Psyka (guest: 05/04/2013), oishi-.-ME, phantomhive19, rangerswood, GoldenRoseTanya, Lucyheartfilla, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, WolfieANNE, jdcocoagirl, Umi Ryuuzaki Fullbuster**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_


	31. Chapter 28

**WEIRDO BLABS: **Well, it seems 50 chapters won't be enough for this story… Will that be alright, though? Not too long? *pondering* Anyway, this is a bonus chapter because **AsDarknessSpreads** (thank you so much!) has brought up a loophole that needs to be tied… I hope you guys enjoy this! ^^

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT-**_  
__Where Lucy decides to join the rest of civilization._

No. Even if he wanted to, he was not supposed to run after them. So there he stood, staring as two silhouettes ran hand-in-hand from the dark underground parking lot.

Sting blinked once. Twice. Then, he sighed. He just might have lost his lead actress in the MV and that made no more sense than why he wanted to run after them. He was just the guy who would work with her; he didn't have any hold on Lucy at all. And that might be more painful that it was supposed to be.

"Sting…"

The tip-tapping of stilettos made the platinum blonde turn around at the company secretary, Minerva. She had the evil spark in her eyes, but her smirk was even more sinister than usual. She stopped beside him, watching the shadows of Gray and Lucy leave the basement. "It seems she's more of a prize than you've told us…"

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Good job," Minerva praised venomously, "We'll take it from here—"

"No!"

"What?"

"I… I mean…" He didn't even know where the courage to interrupt Minerva came from. _But the thought of them getting their filthy hands on Lucy_… Sting just couldn't risk it, "I'd like to… to do it myself…"

The woman raised both her eyebrows in amusement and admiration. A smile, evil and dark, etched across her face once more. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah… Just… don't interfere…"

"Well… I'm surprised you're willing to do the dirty work yourself," she praised once more, "Go on then… But remember, Sting. We _never _give second chances."

* * *

Lucy was going to wait until he stopped running before she talks but it didn't seem as if he was going to stop anytime soon. Not that she didn't want to get out of that place either, but she was just a bit worried as he didn't seem to remember that he was running around in public, holding her hand, without covering his face.

"Senpai, at least," she said in between deep gasps, "_At least _wear a disguise!"

Gray gave a startled grunt then wore his cap over his head. Where he got the cap, the blond didn't notice but she had more queries to him than just asking him where he hides his costumes.

After quite a distance, the two stopped running and the girl saw that they were behind a huge building Lucy couldn't make out just where. The perimeter was secured by a tall brick wall which made it impossible to see what was on the other side. She could, though, hear the honking of cars as they passed the busy highway, the differently-colored lights beyond, the chattering of passers-by and… was that _cheering_ and _squealing _she hears?

"Okay," she panted, both hands on her knees, "Kindly—Kindly explain… yourself… _Senpai_…."

Gray looked away, making a face that made Lucy feel guilty despite her pure conscience. He took off his cap, hid it away behind him and exhaled deeply through his nose before biting his bottom lip like a guilty child caught stealing a cookie. "Jellal told me where you were and I…"

"Of course he did…" the blond pressed her lips together, not expecting that response. Jellal and Levy were the only people she'd talked to about the MV, asking them whether or not she should accept it. Both gave a positive response and were absolutely supportive but she expected Levy, rather than Jellal, to blab it to Fairy Tail.

"Why didn't you tell me—I mean, us?" he asked accusingly.

"I didn't think you needed to know…?" she replied, raising her intonation in the end; she wasn't also sure why but maybe she just didn't want to insult them? _But I don't even have that obligation_! "_Did _you?"

"I—" For a short moment, Gray was at a loss for arguments but then his lightning-fast mind worked again, "I don't trust Eucliffe with women."

"He's not a bad guy, senpai. I think I'd know if he was," she argued, keeping herself as calm as possible, "And besides, I don't think we had a contract that kept me from socializing or working with Sabertooth..."

"…" _Bull's eye_. "But _still_—"

"All I have to is run around a field in some farm-girl's outfit and act like lovers with Sting," Lucy explained, "I don't see why I can't do that…"

"Act like lovers?" Gray's ears rang and he stared at her, wide-eyed and cheeks obviously blushing despite the sparsely lit environment, "You're still seventeen!"

"That would be over tomorrow!" she snapped. _Right, I'll be eighteen in a few hours so there's no need to baby me_! "And besides…" Lucy clutched the file in her hands and brought it to her chest, as if hugging it, "…the role is closely related to my mum's…"

Gray could feel guilt as it was slowly being tattooed all over his face. He knew her mother was a sensitive topic to her so he avoided it as much as he could but how could he have known that their conversation would lead to the girl's long-dead mother? His hand moved a little from his side to pull her in but—

"Anyway, I don't see why you have to nag about this like a mother hen!" Lucy snapped again, the awkward moment dissipating into thin air.

"I'm not nagging like a mother hen, damn it!" Gray snapped back. How could she associate him, manly and proud as can be, to a flightless bird which holds almost entirely feminine characteristics? "It's because I don't trust that guy and I _care about you_!"

"You do?!" she said in disbelief.

"W-We all do!" he flushed. "And even though that Sting Eucliffe is getting on your good side, I don't think it's enough to fully trust him with your life."

Lucy sighed and pouted. "Did Jellal-senpai tell you to do this? You _did _say he was the one who told you where I was…"

"Y-Yeah, he did…" he lied, avoiding her eyes.

Beyond the wall, the honking continued and the lights continued to flash in its rainbow-colored fashion. The talking, screaming and squealing voices were still there. The only light bulb that illuminated the empty lot occupied by Gray and Lucy flickered and threatened to break in the silence that enveloped them. What were they supposed to talk about anyway?

Nothing that their mouths could say better than their eyes. Black eyes were drowned in hazel orbs and the two were transfixed on their spots.

_Thump_!

_What was that_? That couldn't have been his heart, could it? Gray denied it—vigorously. He denied that his heart was racing, pumping twice as fast and as hard that he felt like his ribs were going to break. He denied that a tingling sensation travelled from his stomach then up to his chest, and finally to his cheeks. He denied that he was feeling warm and fuzzy all over. He denied it—but he could not hide the fact that it was there. And he was feeling it. And it was because of those chocolate eyes that looked into his.

He wasn't stupid. A few years of harbouring unrequited love towards Mirajane and there was _no way _he wouldn't recognize _this_.

"Lucy, I—"

_Slam_!

"Gray, there you are! It's about time you got here!"

Erza, Laxus and two other women came bustling out from the door and they immediately dragged Gray by the collar.

"Didn't we tell you to get in here once you find her? The show is going to start and you're not even dressed yet!" Erza bellowed at Gray with the most threatening voice she had and the brunette whimpered under her grasp. "What took you so long to get inside? You brat! You should learn some discipline!"

"Lucy, right?"

"We meet again, Laxus-san…" the blond bowed but kept her eyes at the singer who was now being dragged towards the building (but kept making quick glances at her). "Are you in the middle of something here?"

"Oh… Fairy Tail is making a quick guesting in 'Starstruck! Live' tonight…" Seeing her lost look, Laxus asked the blond girl whether she watched the show or not. And when she shook her head, he laughed. "Well, that's interesting. A teenage girl who doesn't watch TV. Do you want to watch from backstage, then?"

* * *

The fans were cheering so loudly that Lucy couldn't help but cover her ears. She was already at the backstage, just peeping through that small space between the doors, but the screams were just so intense, her eardrums felt like shattering.

Natsu, Gajeel and Gray politely bowed to the audience before doing a casual handshake with the host whom Lucy had never seen before in her life. He was a handsome man, probably in his mid-forties, wearing a coat and tie, with brown hair that now showed streaks of silver due to age.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Fairy Tail!" he said and the crowd burst into screaming again. The four of them sat on comfy couches at the middle of the stage and waited for the cheering to die down before the host talked again. "So, welcome to 'Starstruck! Live' again. This is your, I believe, third time here, am I right?"

"Yeah, it is," Gray replied through the microphone. "The first was when had just debuted and the second was a bit after that."

"So tell me, how does it feel? It's been a few months after your debut, right?"

This time, it was Natsu who answered, "It's been almost five months now and we're still getting used to a few things. Not to mention we're in high school again, but we're really working hard on everything."

"Oh, yes. We heard about high school," he said, "Would you guys like to make any comments on that?"

"It's basically training, really," Gajeel answered gruffly but with smoothness. "We're training to be more sociable and responsible people, not to mention better performers."

"There _had _been a lot of bashing during your debut. A lot of haters and cynics who say that you guys were a half-baked group. What can you say about that?"

"Yes, there _have _been bashers and pessimists who called us half-baked and amateurs… It _was _true," Gray said with a smile on his face. The crowd was making encouraging sounds like 'that's not true' or 'you should give yourself more credit' but the leader continued, "I can attest to our 'half-baked'-ness during our debut.

"Back then, we had been training for quite some time—"

"Almost three years, I think?" Natsu cut in.

"Yeah, almost. But that was barely enough time to prepare us for debut. Despite that, Master Makarov said that he wanted to see us debut so he let us debut. I guess by then, our skills were still a bit dull and indeed amateurish." Gray explained with so much humility that Lucy could hardly believe it was him.

"We put our all in our debut album and even though it wasn't as good as it could have been, it was embraced by the public and the fans so much and we thank them for that—" There was cheering again for Fairy Tail after that, "If you listen to our first album and even our gag songs on YouTube, you would say that we still lack some things that we didn't really deserve to debut so early.

"But despite this fact, we are overcoming our weaknesses by training and practicing hard for everyone, even studying Algebra and History in between breaks so that Fairy Tail will be better with every song that we sing." The host nodded and clapped his hands, so did the crowd. Lucy didn't realize she was clapping her hands, too. "And with our next album, we'd gladly show you that even just a little, we've progressed from the amateurs back then to the Fairy Tail-in-training now."

"And Gray won't be as unmotivated as before," Natsu joked and Gajeel was more than happy to reciprocate.

"And you're not going to be as annoying, are you?"

"As you can see, Gajeel has been learning some manners," Gray blurted out, making the whole studio laugh. Gajeel tapped him on the head softly with the microphone. The blonde was surprised Gajeel wasn't being as violent as he usually was off-cam. _This is… deception_, she thought.

"What a lovely group of boys," the host praised, "And speaking of your album, weren't you going to release a new one soon?"

"Ah, yes, we were…" Natsu said. He was now wearing a fluffy bear-hat he had found on the center table. Smiling, he glanced at the audience and spoke, "We'll be releasing our second album by the title 'Storm Song' in a week's time so please stay tuned and keep supporting Fairy Tail!"

"Well, you heard them, folks. A new album ready to be released. So, with much excitement, it is my honor to introduce them again, the rookie band Fairy Tail!"

Spotlights of a million colors blurred and melted into orbs of neon before they flashed themselves and flooded the place in brightness. From the backstage, Lucy could hardly see anything but the blinding flash of light. And the only things she could hear were the cheering of a crowd… and her own heartbeat.

Then came three distinct taps on wood before the music started and a shadow of a man appeared before Lucy against the light.

_I see you sitting there_

_Trembling in the covers_

_Trying to keep yourself together_

_I see tears in your eyes_

_As you face this storm alone_

_Tryin' to make yourself seem stronger_

_Is that… senpai_? The poor blonde had to squint in order to see clearer but to no avail, all she could see was a figure because of the dazzling spotlight.

_Take my hand, sing my song_

_Wanna tell you you're not alone_

_When fear knocks on your door_

_We'll be singing in the storm_

_Get out and into my arms_

_I'll hold you tight, you'll be alright_

_When things just seem so wrong_

_We'll be singing in the storm_

The singing continued for a few more moments and Lucy could only stare on. She couldn't believe that she was actually friends with those people performing there. And hearing Gray sing now, he sure had come a long way from when she first heard him. It wasn't perfect but now he was better and more… _expressive_?

"Ladies and gentlemen, that was Fairy Tail with their song—"

"Senpai?"

It only started to sink in the girl's mind that her friends weren't average high school students but _stars_. Her heart thumped in her chest and she couldn't help but stare at a handsome brunette who was right in front of her—

"Senpai!"

"Huh?"

"You alright? You've been staring…" Gray comically moved his head from left to right to humor the girl.

"I… _I was not_!" she denied then stomped furiously away.

Gray let a goofy smirk decorate his face and followed after her. "So how was your first time watching a television show?"

"It was fine… I guess…" she said and started to cool herself down. Why had she felt so hot back there? It must have been the lights.

"Really, you should buy yourself a TV and join the rest of civilization more…" he laughed.

"Gray-san, Erza-sama is calling for you…" interrupted one crew.

"In a minute!" the brunette called out. Then he turned back to Lucy and gave her something from his coat pocket. "Here…"

"What's…" The girl's eyes widened when she realized that she was holding a copy of Fairy Tail's yet to be released album. "This is…!"

"Yeah… We had 10 copies released today for special people…" Gray explained, "Call it a compensation for your help with our songs."

"Thank you… But I was already paid, remember?"

"Yeah, well…" Gray sheepishly put a hand behind his head and looked away. The crew called for him again and he dismissed her for the second time, "I'm coming! Yeah… That's… That's also a birthday gift from me…"

"_Oh_…"

"Well, I gotta go… Erza's calling…" he said and turned his back, "Erm… Your bags are in the locker room… I can't take you home anymore so just get them from there, okay?"

"Yeah…" Lucy watched his retreating back as he ran toward the studio again. She let out a breath she didn't she had been holding and looked at the spot where Gray had been. "Thank you…"

_He's a rising superstar_, after all, she thought, some famous dude who sang for the people and gave them an ideal 'guy'. But other than that, what did she know about his career? What did she know about their world?

_Nothing_. Because she had been too busy living in her own little dimension. But then seeing them live on stage doing what they usually do (and not the sing-a-long in the corner or the usual choir performance she was so accustomed to), Lucy couldn't help but feel as if she didn't know them at all.

The girl looked at the album in her hand and sighed. Maybe it _was _time to join the rest of civilization.

* * *

**WEIRDO BLABS: **No… Don't say anything! UGH! I hate myself!

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws: _**FrozenKey, Hannah Eucliffe, LisannaoftheSnow, nikkicuz**_

_Reviews:__** FrozenKey, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, Rockin' angels, leoslady4ever, jdcocoagirl, Drunkly, Hannah Eucliffe, UniPegSama, fairytaillover416, Lucyheartfilla, Psyka (guest: 05/09/2013), dianaloveanime, horsejumper88, 1fairytaillover, oishi-.-ME, phantomhive19, gralu4ever**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

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_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_


	32. Chapter 29

**WEIRDO BLABS: **I'm not feeling so well, internally… I wonder what could be wrong? Anyway, I'm going to have a *probably* late Mothers' Day chapter… I hope it won't be _too _late, though… - _ -

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE-**_  
__Where birthdays can never be too special… (Part 1)_

"_What do you want to do when you grow up, Lucchan?"_

_Me? I want to be performing with you on stage. I want to sing and act with you, and just completely make you proud of me…_

_Mother…_

"_Shh_! Don't speak so loudly or you'll wake her!" whispered one.

"But isn't that _exactly _what we're waiting for?" another whispered back.

"I should really just get back to my work…" said someone in a hushed manner over a speaker.

"A-Anou, I think she's waking up!"

Somehow, she'd started dreaming again. For a few weeks now, Lucy had had dreamless nights. Although it wasn't a bad thing, it wasn't good either. She preferred blank sleep than nightmares, but whenever she woke up from a dreamless night, she'd just feel as empty as a canvas.

Recently, however, she'd been starting to get flashes, memories… even new dreams. Just before she opened her eyes, she could vividly see her mother looking down on her, asking her about her ambitions—as if she had to ask.

The young girl, now a young lady, lazily turned her head to look at the foot of her bed, at the wall clock by the door frame—

"W-What?!"

Lucy's eyes stretched wide as saucers before her brain could process what had just appeared before her. _Am I still dreaming_? A dream within a dream? She could feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment to have eight pairs of eyes stare at her in her night clothes, hair in disarray, face having sleep marks—and she had just prayed she didn't drool while she was asleep!

"_Happy birthday, Miss Lucy_!"

"Virgo! Loki! Aries! Gemi! Mini!" she blurted out at the sight of the people at the foot of her bed, two little boys jumping up immediately toward her and pulling her in their tiny arms. "Hey, kids!"

"Happy birthday, young mistress," said a man on the laptop screen. He was fashioned very formally in a coat and tie, his gray hair slickly pulled all the way back. He bowed his head at Lucy and the proceeded to touch his goatee. "Every time I see you, you look more and more like your mother."

"Thank you, Capricorn," said Lucy, her heart racing as she cuddled the twins in her arms. She had just noticed that Loki and Virgo were both holding a laptop open for her, the screen showing Lucy a scene she was only too glad to see in the morning. Only, it wasn't morning there wherever Capricorn was… it was already dark there.

"Lushie-sama! You're still as _amazing _as ever!" said a buff man with a nose ring beside Capricorn. He, too, was dressed in a fancy suit but he wore it with less elegance and more _musk_.

"Forgive Taurus, Ms. Lucy, he's had a few bottles of alcohol—"

"What time is it over there? Don't you guys have work?" she asked, concerned. Gemi (or was this Mini?) had cuddled up to her bedside, his arms swung over her neck while his twin had his head on the young woman's generous chest, almost falling asleep over it.

Capricorn simply smiled at her and answered, "It's almost seven in the evening here, young mistress. And since your father had just finished a meeting, he wanted to rest for the night. We're all here in the servants' villa, doing a bit of socializing."

"Oh, I see…" she said, her smile fading down a bit. So her father must be resting now… _Could it be that he's forgotten_?

"Cancer couldn't make it here at the villa, however, because the Salon Ms. Layla had entrusted to him was having an event…" the man explained again. "But he sends his warmest greetings on your birthday…"

"Please tell him I said thanks—"

"Okay, fine! Where's the _brat_?" yelled a strict female voice that pushed Capricorn out of view. He was replaced by a beautiful blue-haired woman in a dress. She squinted her eyes as she looked at Lucy through the screen before tugging the corner of her upper lip, "_Tsk_."

Lucy, shocked, looked at Virgo, Loki and his pink-haired companion. "Did she just—? _Did you just sneer at me_?!"

"You're still so _grumpy _after all this time, you snot-nosed kid?" the woman asked, "I'm guessing you _still _don't have a boyfriend until now—"

"_Aquarius_, please stop that!" Lucy asked, blushing. Mini (or was that Gemi?) put a small palm on her cheek and marvelled at how warm it was with his twin, who also put a palm on the girl's face. "A-And speaking of w-which, where's _Scorpio_?"

Aquarius pouted and scooted over to let Capricorn back on the screen, "He had to take some package to _India_ for your father… He left just this morning but he told me to greet you a happy birthday…"

"Oh…" she said and blushed. She wrapped an arm around each twin and pulled them closer to her. "Thank you… A-And tell him I said thank you, Aquarius…"

"Yeah, well… It's not every day we turn eighteen and we're still single, right?" she teased and let out a mocking laugh. "Happy birthday, you spoiled brat…"

"Thank you, Aquarius…" Lucy said, tears welling up in her eyes now. She nuzzled her nose at of one of the twins' auburn hair and couldn't help but smile.

"Lucchan is crying!" said Gemi.

"She's crying!" copied Mini.

"No, no, no! Don't cry just yet—!" said Loki and turned to look at the shy woman behind him. "Not until you make a wish!"

"Ha-Happy birthday, Ms. Lucy!" the woman greeted, her pink curls bouncing as she stepped forward, a small cake in her hands. There was a single candle of red and white swirls that was erected at the middle. "Make a wish…"

"Make a wish, Lucchan!" bellowed Mini.

"Make a wish!" his twin said.

"W-What more can I wish for?" Lucy replied and fought back tears with her smile, "Capricorn, Taurus and Aquarius are going out of their way to greet me from a few thousand miles away… Aries and my beloved Gemi and Mini travelled all the way from home to see me… Virgo and Loki doing this for me… I possibly can't ask for more because you guys… have given me just about everything…"

"Lucchan, no tears in bed…" Gemi comforted cutely and ran a small finger under Lucy's eyes where the tears formed.

"No tears!" Mini said and kissed the girl's cheek, "See?"

"C'mon, Lucy… There's got to be one thing you want to wish for today…" Loki said, "We'll do _anything_!"

"Princess, please blow the candle," Virgo said flatly, "Or would you want to get punished first?"

The blonde simply laughed at this and took one long look at the all the people her mother has come to adopt—her brothers and sisters.

"Well, if you insist…" she said, "I wish… that all of you guys would take the day off and have some fun on my birthday…"

"I beg your pardon, Princess?"

"Lucy, you know we can't do that—"

"_Oh, for goodness' sake, Leo_!" Lucy called out in a hiss, using Loki's real name to express her superiority on him, and whispered, "Take Aries out on a date or something! Take her to the amusement park or… a fancy restaurant… You guys _deserve _to spend alone time after being apart for so long!"

"B-But—" Loki was flustered and started to argue but Lucy insisted.

"Please… You've all been looking after me for the past few years and so now all I want is for you guys to enjoy even just a day to yourselves…" Lucy explained, "I'm eighteen now and I'll go celebrate my birthday with Levy and the others somewhere… Meanwhile, Virgo can watch some wrestling and Loki and Aries… well, you can do whatever you want…"

"B-B-But the kids—!" Aries tried to mutter between her shaking lips and her beet red face.

"I'd like to spend time with them today," Lucy said and pulled the twin four-year-olds closer. "Just so you could be alone…"

"W-Well… If that's what you wish, Lucy…" Loki said, flustered.

"Always such a kind-hearted person, Ms. Lucy. Ms. Layla would have been proud," Capricorn said from the screen, "Oh… Which reminds me, do you want to speak to your father?"

The girl bit her lower lip and thought hard before replying, "N-Not now… I'm sure he's tired… I'll call later on in the evening when I'm sure he's rested… I have to go somewhere anyway…"

"You're going somewhere?" Loki asked her, "You're not going to class?"

"Oh… It's some sort of special holiday today and I have to go to a shoot," she said, "I'll be taking the kids with me so until tomorrow, you're all free…"

"Holiday?" Virgo said.

"Yeah…" Lucy answered and led the twins down the bed, "Something about fireworks and night lights?"

* * *

_Maybe _he should have taken his bike after all. Today was a holiday and so the trains were full of people, especially during five o'clock. And he'd seriously wished he'd worn a less suspicious disguise than his usual black cap and bumblebee shades.

_Just a bit more… just a bit more_, he thought, _and the train doors will open_. The train was so full today that he was practically squeezed between two people as he held tight on the handles as not to knock himself down.

It was a sunny Friday afternoon. There were no classes and he had no schedules either so Gray took the liberty to take a quick look at Sabertooth's MV in a wheat field just by the outskirts of town just after finishing his own business. He had seriously thought about taking his bike to save some time and effort but all of a sudden he had the urge to ride the train, which he hasn't been on since he started training. Gray would have enjoyed it, too, if not for the huge crowds of people that rode with him. _No wonder they say the world is now overpopulated_.

"_The train will be stopping now. Please clear the path as the doors open—"_

"Oh, thank God!" Gray blurted out in relief. He could finally leave that place and get some fresh air!

The door slowly opened and the people stampeded out of the train, some in a hurry, some in a slow pace. Gray preferred the latter as he gracefully stepped out of the train and tipped his cap lower to hide his face. When it didn't seem like anybody paid him any attention, he proceeded to walk out of the station normally and picked up a cab when someone called out his private nickname.

"_Snowman_!"

* * *

"A-And so, my daughter is a really big fan of yours and I'm sure she would love it if you signed something for her…"

A vein popped on Gray's forehead as he tried to keep himself smiling despite the really awkward moment inside the cab. He was riding the passenger seat beside the driver, who happened to be a father of a Fairy Tail fangirl, where he heard endless chattering about his daughter's "_devotion_" to their band. Of course, he had an image to maintain and so Gray had to nod and smile and make a few acknowledgements then and now.

He glanced at the rear view mirror.

At the backseat, a girl with wavy blue hair in an orange bandana kept making worried glances at the person next to her who seemed to be suffering from motion-sickness.

"So, tell me, Levy," Gray said in his most gentleman-like tone, "Where are you and Gajeel headed?"

"We're going to Sabertooth's MV filming," Levy answered, "Same as you are…" Gray blushed at this remark.

"I-I-I wasn't really going there on purpose, you know?" he laughed, "I just thought that maybe it would be nice to get some fresh air once in a while… Away from the hustle and bustle of the city…"

"_Ke_," Gajeel retorted, not even thinking about his image in front of the chauffer, "That's a really convincing lie, snowman…"

Gray's mask practically cracked and broke into a million pieces just hearing his private nickname. He had two, really. 'Snowman' was one that he had to be called in public when he didn't want to be noticed. It was a pet name Natsu and Erza had come up with in the middle of their debut preparations so they could still call each other out and yet not draw attention to themselves.

His other private name was a name only his adoptive mother called him—

"But it's really great, isn't it? To have you guys visit Sabertooth filming? It's like every fangirl's dream to see your two groups be friendly…" commented Levy with a huge smile. Gray, by now, had figured out that she was a fangirl herself and seemed to have no problems in relating with showbiz matters.

"I guess it is," Gray replied, watching how Gajeel was reduced to a mere rag doll, "But why are you with Gajeel, Levy? Is this some sort of… _date_?"

The girl gasped and flushed to a color that would bring any other rose petal to shame. "I-I-It's not like that," she denied, "I was just going to see Rogue since we haven't seen each other in ages… and… and Lu-chan, too…"

_Thump_!

Gray took a deep breath, held it in and released it slowly. He had finally figured out a way to stop that annoying thumping in his chest whenever it happened so he was proud that the thumping and the fluttering feeling was under his control now.

"I see…"

The cab slowed down as it reached the entrance of a private farm and stopped just after it had backed up by the roadside.

"Well, here we are, sirs and ma'am…" he said.

"Thank you very much, sir," Gray said with a smile as he handed out the payment for the ride. He made a mental note to have Gajeel pay him back later on. "And I _do _hope that whatever you have heard or seen here will stay our little secret…"

"You can count on that, sir," the man politely said. "B-But will it be too much trouble to ask for your autograph? It's for the daughter I was talking to you about."

"Oh, not at all," the singer obliged. One of the things he loved most about being famous was that his mere signature could make a person very, very happy. He gladly took a piece of cardboard from the driver and wrote on it with a permanent marker. "What's your daughter's name?"

"Chiaki," the man replied in glee as he watched Gray write, "Thank you, sir. This would mean so much to her since she's a really big fan and it's also her birthday today…"

_Thump_!

The singer took another deep breath before writing 'Happy Birthday' on the cardboard. "Tell her I said 'Happy Birthday'."

The chauffer drove away and the three teens entered the farm with much excitement and curiosity. They continued to walk until they came upon a plain below them, generously adorned with wheat grass and differently-colored flowers. The sun was halfway down the horizon and the sky was starting to color pink, orange and lilac. The green of the field was overlayed with a thin film of orange rays; it was almost a scene from a romance film. Only, in that scene, there were cameramen and crew running around, not to mention the tents that served as dressing rooms and lounges for Sabertooth. Really, Gray had to remind himself that this was show business now. Nothing picturesque was ever real.

"Over there!" Levy exclaimed and pointed at a figure below them, "Is that Lu-chan?"

_Where_? He asked. He traced the direction to where Levy was pointing and saw ever so clearly, despite the incredible distance, Lucy, in a wide-brimmed straw hat and a loose powder blue dress, running gleefully in the wheat field, as if she was having the time of her life.

"Yeah, that _is_—"

_Thump_! _Thump_!

That was Lucy, alright. And although she looked lovely, there was one thing that was really wrong in the picture: Sting was running _after _her. No, wait. Sting just caught up to her, grabbed her by the waist and carried her around in circles. They looked like they were having fun, too.

_Thump_! _Thump_!

Now, Gray's heart was racing again… but for a _completely different reason_.

* * *

**WEIRDO BLABS: **Well… I hope that went well… Lately, I've been sleeping late and waking up late… My body clock is in shambles… Do you guys suggest sleeping pills or do they ruin your health? Never tried them before, you see… Any-how, tell me what you guys think!

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws: _**CelestialDays, H8rslovemecauseI'mawesome, The Eternal Swan Ninjetti, Reallyfanofbooks**_

_Reviews:__** oishi-.-ME, Majsan100, Lucyheartfilla, Misty (whom I remember very much! guest: 05/10/2013), Le' CarolinnaXannej421, Rockin' angels, Psyka (guest: 05/10/2013), Lillyviolet, WolfieANNIE, wonder-chan (guest: 05/11/2013), Grayluisawesome, iMary7, guest (05/11/2013), The Eternal Swan Ninjetti, gralu4ever, fairytaillover416**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_


	33. Chapter 30: HAPPY 30th CHAPTER!

**WEIRDO BLABS: **Had ice cream before writing this… I'm a bit high tonight… -_- Anyways…. Expect fireworks… haha!

**PS: ****Happy 30th chapter, guys**! Oh, gosh! I never thought I'd make it this far... Thanks for everyone's inspiring reviews and PMs, also those who favorited and followed. Me sends you much hugs! See you in a hundred more chapters! *or something* hahaha!

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THIRTY-**_  
__Where birthdays can never be too special… (Part 2)_

"Good work with the filming, Ms. Heartfilia," one staff politely greeted as she made her way past Lucy's tent. She was helping the others with the break-camp and had in her hands two boxfuls of equipment.

Lucy stood up and sheepishly bowed to her. "Thank you also for your hard work!" The woman nodded her head with a smile before going on her way. Looking past the open entrance of the tent, Lucy could hardly see in the dim purple light brought about by twilight. The sky, too, was preparing itself for nighttime and was now a decent color of navy blue.

The blonde sighed contentedly as she knelt back down to her adopted twin brothers, Gemi and Mini, who were asking her to tear their chocolate bar open. She pulled the three-fourth sleeves of her white top and fixed her pink bonnet before proceeding to humor the children.

"Throw it away properly, okay?" she ordered and watched as one twin took the chocolate bar, broke it in half and gave one part to his brother before the two ran out of the tent hand-in-hand to look for a garbage can. The girl sighed. Pretty soon her two cute twins would be young boys and she wondered if they would still be as close as they are now.

"Lucy-san?" Lucy stood up at the sight of Rogue, now in his gray hoodie and tattered blue jeans. The young Sabertooth gave a small smile before gesturing to people behind him to come in after him, "She's here…"

_Visitors_? Right on cue, Levy, Gajeel and her senpai, Gray, were ducking and making their way into her small make-shift dressing room.

"Hey! You're here!" she exclaimed in utter surprise. This was answered by a tight hug from her best friend, Levy, who clung to her neck one quick second and then holding both her hands excitedly the next.

"_Happy birthday_!" the pianist greeted, "I've already left my present in your locker so make sure you see it before you go up to your unit…"

"T-Thanks, Levy," Lucy said, flushing. Leave it to Levy to announce to the whole world that it was her birthday.

"It's your birthday, Lucy-san?" Rogue asked in curiosity. "Does the staff know? Does _Sting _know?"

The birthday girl vigorously waved her hands in front of her. "_No, no, no, no, no_!" she said in on breath, "They don't know about it so please don't say anything. I'm… _not _really the type who likes getting all the attention…"

"But happy birthday, though," the Sabertooth said, "You should have told me so I could have prepared something…" Rogue was surprisingly sweet and thoughtful despite his mean and snobbish first impression. Lucy had only interacted with him yesterday at the general meeting and he was less than talkative there. But over the day, they had exchanged a few lines and the girl found out he wasn't really that dark a character.

"Thank you, Rogue…" she said and smiled at Gajeel and Gray, "So… um… I was thinking… Do you guys want to go and eat somewhere? My treat…!"

"_Er_…" Levy immediately looked at Rogue and Gajeel, who both gave her hesitant stares. "A-Actually, Lu-chan… Rogue, Gajeel and I were going to a small gathering with their former Phantom bandmates and…"

"Oh, I—"

"I'm really _sorry_, Lu-chan!" Levy apologized and clasped her hands together above her head. "You've never really liked celebrating _any _of your previous birthdays so I thought this time would be the same! I—"

"I-It's okay, Levy…" Lucy assured, "You're right about that, anyway. This _is _the first I'll be celebrating…"

"Have you invited Jellal-sensei?" Levy asked, "Natsu, perhaps? Or anyone from school?"

"N-No, not anyone from school…" she replied somewhat bitterly but the smile never leaving her face, "Although Natsu said that he was going to catch up after his guesting in a radio broadcast…"

"Oh…" the blue-haired pianist pouted, "I'm really sorry, Lu-chan…" She looked back at Gajeel and Rogue and started again, "Perhaps we could—"

"No! No! Please don't compromise for me," the blonde requested, "You know how _bad_ that makes me feel …"

"Sorry, Lu-chan…" Levy repeated.

"It's okay, I said," she assured and gave her friend a hearty pat on the back, "Is senpai going with you?"

The sound of his own name made the singer jump and his head snapped to look at Lucy. All the while he had been preoccupied by two boys with auburn hair by the entrance of the tent, just looking at all of them with doe-eyes. "_Huh_?" He faintly recalled what Lucy had asked him and replied, "No… I'm not…"

"Then… I guess it's just _you two_…" Gajeel emphasized and smirked playfully at his bandmate who grimaced at him, a blush adorning his cheeks.

"Hey, Gajeel-san, Juvia just texted me and said that they're already waiting for us at the same barbeque house…" Rogue interrupted, looking up from his phone and at Gajeel. "We should probably go or they'll end up having us pay… _again_…"

The bassist nodded without making a sound and gestured for Levy to go with them. "We'll go ahead of _you two_," he said, the malice in his voice not very hidden from Gray's sensitive hearing. "Happy birthday, blondie…"

"Thank you, Gajeel-san," she replied thankfully yet still not appreciating that he had used a name that was not hers to begin with. She watched as the three of them started to leave the tent, sadness swimming in her hazel eyes. She would have wanted for them to celebrate her birthday with her but then again, she should have told them about it a long time ago.

Rogue gave a final bow and a 'goodbye' before leaving Lucy and Gray staring at the entrance of the tent with much anticipation. By now, the sky had completely darkened. There was no moon but the stars twinkled happily across the clear night sky.

The evening wind blew past the two of them and they shivered, eventually locking gazes with each other.

"Uhm, yeah… _So_…" Gray started and broke the staring contest, "Happy birthday… _again_… W-What's your plan now?"

"Well, I was planning to have dinner with all of you guys at a family restaurant near my place but… seeing as they're not _all _available, I guess it's just us four until Natsu comes by…" Lucy said and pulled her fluffy pink bonnet down to cover her ears.

Gray gulped to give some moisture to his dry throat. It was just the two of them— "Wait… _Four_?"

"Yeah," the blonde affirmed and knelt down again. "_Gemi_, _Mini_, come in here and greet senpai…"

Two red-heads barely reaching Gray's hips came waddling inside the tent in a perfectly synchronized movement, their black eyes looking curiously at him and their cute lips smeared with chocolate.

* * *

Natsu took a quick glance at Erza, who was unconscious on a hospital bed beside his. She had bandages on her head and on her arms, a few stitches here and there, but over-all, she was okay—and Natsu was glad. He wasn't any better, though; just a little luckier. He only had a broken arm and a slightly mangled memory of exactly what had happened. But as far as he could tell, he wasn't going anywhere out of that emergency room.

He sighed as he tried hard to grab his phone on the bedside table to his left; this was hard to do since his left arm was in a cast and he struggled to grab the mobile phone with his right arm. When he finally succeeded, he dialled Lucy's number, which was on speed dial.

"Happy birthday, Lucy!" he said weakly, which surprised him. His voice sounded unstable, even shaky.

"Natsu? Where are you?" Lucy asked immediately after he spoke, "I already ordered food and it's seriously getting cold…" There was hidden sadness and discouragement in the girl's voice and it made Natsu guilty.

"Uh, about that, Lucy…" he said, "You see, I'm at the hospital right now—"

"What? What hospital? What happened?" He could hear the panic in the girl's voice now.

"We had an… _accident_," he said in a way as not to alarm her too much, "Erza and I were on our way to see you but then some crazy fans in a van were following us. Erza made a quick turn but then she lost control of the wheel and we ran into a post…"

"_Oh, no_! Are you okay?" she asked. _Poor Lucy_, it was her birthday and yet she was worrying about other people.

"I'm okay… Just a broken arm and a few cuts here and there… Nothing serious…" he said, "Erza's still unconscious over here… Anyway, I don't think we'd be let out of the hospital too soon…"

"Oh… I see…" Lucy said, "I'm going there… Which hospital—?"

"_No_!" he exclaimed, "Don't come here… You'll be mobbed by the fans and I won't have the power to let you in…" Natsu sighed and stretched his neck to see the entrance. _Yup_. Fans were out there, alright. The mere sight of his pink hair made the scream out. "I'm _really _sorry, Lucy… I promised to go there, too…"

"It's okay, Natsu… It's not your fault…"

The two exchanged goodbye's and Natsu greeted Lucy a happy birthday one last time before he slumped back on his bed, feeling dizzy. He should probably think of a way to make it up to his friend, somehow. But for now, he had a lot to worry about: the management, the fans, the album launch, his parents. Really, he just wanted to sleep for a while _and then _get back to being such a worry-wart.

The ringing on his phone made his sleepy mind awake again. He didn't even bother to look at who it was and immediately hit the answer button. For all he knew, it could be Master Makarov.

"Hello?" he said.

"Son, it's me," his mother said. Natsu gulped and bit his lower lip, "I heard about the accident. Are you okay?"

* * *

The light turned on with a soft 'click' and bathed the spacious room in a bright white light. Footsteps on the soft, carpeted floor could be heard as they went through the door frame, past the huge wardrobe, the bathroom door and going towards the queen-sized bed, its white sheets tucked neatly under the mattress.

Lucy carefully put her bags at the foot of her wardrobe before opening the curtains. It revealed a huge glass window with a small glass door that led outside to the veranda. The view was breathtaking, as always, with the city lights stretching for miles from their view. Such a pretty scene as is fitting a birthday.

"What is your shoe size?" piped one in a high-pitched voice. A similar voice repeated the last two words with a higher energy.

"Shoe size?" came Gray's voice.

The blonde turned and heaved a sigh at the sight of her friend, Gemi sitting on his shoulders behind his neck and Mini cradled in his arms. They have been like that since they started walking from the restaurant to her room. The twins have been asking all kinds of questions to Gray, who answered with as much gentleness as he could.

_But doesn't his arms and back hurt_? Lucy sweat-dropped at how Gray could carry that much weight for around ninety minutes, from the restaurant, past a downhill road, up the stairs and to Lucy's room while still being able to answer the children with a smile.

"Twenty-eight, last time I checked…?" he said hypothetically. "What about you two?"

Gemi yawned. "Don't know…"

"Don't know…" echoed Mini and he snuggled in Gray's broad chest. "Do you have a red sportscar…?"

"Yeah…" Gemi rested his chin on top of Gray's head, "Do you have a sportscar… like Sting-san?"

The brunette gave Lucy a long and defeated look and sighed before answering, "No… But I have a motorcycle…"

"Motor—" a yawn split Mini's words in half, "—cycle?"

"A huge bicycle, right, senpai?" Gemi lazily said, his chin making circles on Gray's head as he tried hard to stay awake.

"Yeah…" Gray's strong gaze at Lucy immediately melted into a gentle smile. He started to make his way on to Lucy's bed and first lay Mini on it. "But my bicycle is _magic_…"

"Magic?" the two chorused sleepily. Gray now carried Gemi off his shoulders and cradled the boy in his arms as Mini. "How?"

"Well…" Gray said as he pried the small body off his neck, "It's _much_ faster than Sting's old car."

"Faster?" Mini said. Gemi echoed this in a smaller voice than his twin. "Will you take us for… a ride?"

"A ride…!" Gemi said excitedly through half-lidded eyes.

"If you sleep now and wake me up tomorrow," Gray said and ran his hand across their faces to have them close their eyes, "Maybe I will…"

A few seconds of leaning there, waiting for them to fall asleep, and the two let out small snores one after the other, as if echoing each other. Contented, he stood up and gave a relieved sigh. "Cute little tykes…"

"Aren't they just…?" Lucy said sat beside one of the twins. She smiled at the two angels on her bed before she looked up at Gray.

The singer smiled back at her and flexed his shoulders. "So, do you have any party-ender plans?"

Lucy licked her dry lips and smiled sadly, the same smile she had since Natsu's call. "No… I guess I'll be calling it a day now…"

"Oh…" said Gray sheepishly, "That sounds… kind of sad, you know?"

"Does it…?" she said. Lucy would have snapped at him and started an argument but she wasn't in the mood for that at all. To celebrate her birthday with an incomplete family wasn't anything new to her but to do it without her closest friends really took out all her spunk.

She looked up at her companion. If it weren't for Gray…

"Uhm… Senpai…"

"Yeah?" Gray asked.

"Do you want to have cake before you leave?"

* * *

The small living room now smelled of warm tea.

Gray glanced around and was surprised that it was still the same as it was before. The kitchen was still underneath the stairs which led up to Lucy's room, her studio and one extra room for storage. The piano was still at the far right corner, opposite the kitchen and the walls were still the same cream yellow. The same shelves, books, and empty TV rack were there, and the only thing that changed from when Gray was there were the curtains.

The singer looked out of the glass-wall to the city. There was still some time before her birthday ended; should he take her somewhere? Like, her mother's grave?

"So, senpai…" Lucy said through her first sip of tea, "Do… Do you hurt anywhere?"

"Huh? Why do you say that?" he replied.

"You were carrying the kids all the way from the restaurant so I thought…"

"Nah, I'm okay…" Gray said smugly. "I don't wanna brag but…" he straightened his back to pull his chest up, "…I actually work out a bit…"

The blonde giggled with a sweatdrop. "It doesn't show…"

"What about you?" he asked acidly, "How'd the filming go?"

"Fine," she replied in glee as if it was the only good thing that happened to her today. "The MV will probably be up in less than a week…"

"And… _Eucliffe_? I saw your ending scene with him… It was—"

"Better than your cuddle scene with Juvia, _right_?" she smirked at him. Gray shivered.

"_Never _bring that up again," he said, "When we were shooting that scene, I felt like she wanted to bite my neck! Seriously, that girl is _not normal_."

"You think?" Lucy said, "The way she stares at me… It's like I stole her face!"

"Anyway," the singer said and took a bite of the cake, "Can I really take the twins for a spin on my bike?"

Lucy grimaced, "I think they're going home tomorrow… But I'll just text you if ever Aries is fine with it…" The blonde put her legs on the couch and hugged them, "You know, you're the first person the twins have ever warmed up to that fast…"

"That's a surprise…" Gray expressed and crossed his legs, "I'm not really good with kids…"

"You were pretty good with those two, though," Lucy smiled, "That's pretty good to see…"

He flushed as he grimaced. "So… are you happy with your birthday?"

Lucy immediately looked up to him with sad eyes. "I—"

_Boom! Boom! Boom!_

Three muffled explosions roared throughout the city, making Lucy and Gray look outside the glass. Beautiful light exploded in the vast expanse of the night sky: red, green and white. Another batch of explosions: blue, white and yellow.

"_Oh_…!" the blonde gasped.

Lucy's door opened aggressively and Gemi and Mini ran down the stairs and pressed their faces on the glass wall. "Fireworks! Fireworks!" they cried.

"Pretty…" Gemi applauded.

"Pretty, pretty!" Mini yelped.

The lights were put off and the entire room was filled with the grand fireworks show. Lucy looked at the switch and saw that Gray had turned off the lights, and was now looking at her as if he'd done something wrong. In his hands was the candle on the cake, now lit with a small flame.

"_What_?" he asked, "It's better like this, isn't it?"

The blonde's legs moved on their own, approaching Gray; Gray, who had annoyed her so much when they first met. Gray, who had tried so hard to grow. Gray, who was there when she was hurting because of Jellal. Gray, who completed her song. Gray, who was with her on her special day, patiently staying and waiting.

"Well, blow the candle and make a wish…!" he said, Lucy right in front of him, looking up at him with eyes of hazel.

"Senpai…" Her poker face made him blush, calling him out in a hushed voice.

He smiled readily. "Happy birthday, senpai…"

The blonde's lean arms wrapped around Gray's torso, her head resting on his collarbone. Utterly surprised, the singer was frozen as his arms in mid-air and keeping away from Lucy's figure. He could feel his face heat up in embarrassment. How timely that he had turned the lights off beforehand! He only wished that Lucy wouldn't feel the throbbing of his veins as his blood rushed all over his body in excitement.

"Thank you… senpai," Lucy said calmly. "For not leaving me alone today…"

_Lonely_, he thought, _she must have been so lonely_. "Call it _fan service_…"

His arms embraced the girl, strong and unyielding and yet very gentle. It wasn't the kind of hug that was suggestive; it was very comfortable and warm, despite Gray's cold hands.

The fireworks continued to reflect in the eyes of the children; behind them, sparks were flying as well.

* * *

**WEIRDO BLABS: **Isn't it great when you have just been inspired that the images just flash in your head and your writing is just… fluid. _Not saying it's perfect but_ it's not empty. So warm… So full of love… ^ _ ^

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws:_** Sica-nee, rosearade405, FairyTailAddict21, Sachiko Saki**_

_Reviews:__** Sica-nee, Lucyheartfilla, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, horsejumper88, Misty (guest: 05/13/2013), fairytaillover416, gralu4ever, phantomhive19, LittleWonderland**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_


	34. Chapter 31

**WEIRDO BLABS: **I guess the first chapter of my POST-Mothers' Day Chapter series (or something like that). Thanks to all you guys, for all your reviews and I really do love your suggestions and the inspiration you give me is like drugs already. Hope this doesn't go to my head *kill me if that happens*.

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE-**_  
__Where there's more to a comeback than just Fairy Tail's return._

"_Lucy_?"

"Hey, dad," the girl greeted sheepishly, sitting up her bed. On both her sides were twin red-heads, snuggled up after being so excited at the fireworks show that night.

After Gray had left her place, the three of them decided to call it a day and immediately prepared to sleep. However, Lucy remembered that she was to call her father and so she did, hoping that she wasn't disturbing whatever it is he was doing.

"Hope you're not busy or anything..." she said. She would never get used to talking with her dad; ever since her mother died, he had kept to himself. He even left the country and Lucy to bury himself in work, trying to get over losing his wife.

Needless to say, Lucy had become _very_ distant to him.

"No, it's okay. _I'm_ sorry I couldn't call earlier," he apologized. He was being careful with what he says; like she was some client from work, "Happy birthday, dear. I wish I could have come..."

"That's okay. I understand that you're busy with work." Gemi put a hand on Lucy's stomach and she absentmindedly played with the strands of his hair as she waited for her father's reply.

"Still," he insisted, "So? How was your day?"

The girl bit her lip and blushed. _Awkward_. She felt _very_ awkward. Having her dad ask her those things when they knew so little about each other was really... new. Even when her mother was still alive, he had never really bothered with her personal life.

"Well... Most of my friends had something else to do so..." She stopped at this, thinking he would pity her and tie himself with more guilt. "Anyway, a senpai and the twins celebrated with me so it's all good... I had fun…"

"I'm glad to hear you have such a good senpai," her father said, relief evident in his voice, "You should thank him for me..."

"_Yeah_," she smiled unknowingly. "I will..."

"So? What do you want for a present?"

"Uhm..." she thought long and hard. What could she possibly want when she has all she needs to go along with the rest of civilization—

"Lucy? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I am...!" she said. Lucy gave herself a shake before replying to her father. She had suddenly remembered something she was supposed to buy. "Well... I guess... A _TV_?"

* * *

At the same time, on the other side of the world, a woman with a blue-black bob slumped on her swivel chair behind a huge desk. The desk was messed up by piles and piles of paper, stamp and other office supplies. At the very front of the desk was a nameplate with the words 'Ul Milkovich' written in big, bold letters and gold plating. Underneath these words was a smaller one: _'Pediatrician'_.

Ul had had quite a day at her charity clinic, which was in a small village far from the city. Numbers upon numbers of people always come by to have their children checked whenever Ul goes there on Fridays but today was especially tiring.

For a well-known doctor, Ul was a rather charitable one. She reserved Friday as '_Free Day_', when she'd go to her village clinic and have the less fortunate people with sick kids come to her for a check-up for free (though sometimes they give her a basket of fresh vegetables, fruits and even livestock in return). It wasn't anything political. The doctor did this because she knew very well how it felt to have no financial capabilities to save your child; that was what happened to her daughter, _Ultear_.

Before Ul entered med-school back at Magnolia, she gave birth to her only daughter. Unfortunately, the girl was so sickly that she goes in and out of the hospital for check-ups and admission. The single mother had no money to offer and would oftentimes be refused by the '_hypocrites under the Hypocritical Oath_'.

An old retired doctor had taken pity on them and helped the child overcome her illness. A lonely widower with no children or relatives, he used the sum he had in his bank account and helped Ul enter med-school. Since then, well, things have gone for the better. Ul graduated at the top of her class and inherited a small clinic from the old man when before he died. She was able to adopt and help two homeless boys: a silver-haired boy named Lyon and a brunette who preferred to be called by his second name, 'Gray'.

Life in Fiore for the accidental family was good. Ul was able to establish her career as an honest and gentle pediatrician. She was able to support Ultear and her adopted boys through pre-school and grade school all by herself. Things only got better for them when a friend from abroad wanted to have Ul work with him in his family's hospital. Ul obliged and two years ago, she flew to that country. There, Ultear finished high school and was now at college, preparing for med-school. Lyon, now a senior in high school in that country, was also showing interest in the field of medicine. Her youngest, however, didn't want to leave his hometown. He was fixed on wanting to become a singer in Magnolia. So, no matter how much it pains Ul as a mother, she wanted to make him happy and so agreed to have him stay.

The doctor sighed and smiled as she reached for the DVD player's remote control. '_Gray_' had sent her a pre-produced album and she received it just that day. Of course, she can never be prouder than to hear him in his passion so she had waited all afternoon to be able to listen to it. Oh, how she missed the brunette.

Ul hit the 'Play' button and the first song, '_Storm Song_', was so relaxing that it made her urge for some hot choco as she would on a stormy day. The woman humored herself and asked her assistant to make one for her pronto. It felt to her like the perfect relaxation after a hard day's work: hot choco and some good music in the village far from the noise of the city.

Then came the second song, '_Queen of the Lights_' and Ul sat closer to the player while listening to the Mothers' Tribute. She could practically sift through the harmonizing voices and listen only to her adopted son. Ul fought back huge drop of tears, wiping the ones which escaped with the collar of her white lab gown.

"_Doc_?" Ul's assistant, a tall blonde with a modest body, came in with a cup of hot choco in her hand, "Your hot choco..."

"Thanks... Can you put it on my desk?" Ul said without turning her chair. She was trying to absorb as much of the song as she could and didn't want to be distracted.

"Is that your son's song?" her assistant asked her. The woman had always been interested in things from the city, being a village girl as far as Ul knew.

"Yeah," she replied in pure admiration. "_It is_..."

Truth be told, Ul didn't want Gray to pursue music, as he won't be able to sing for a living forever. But seeing Gray in the TV shows, listening to his songs, how happy he looked in his career despite studying at the same time, she knew he was in the right path—he was _happy_.

_Nothing lasts forever_

_But her love for me remains so clear_

_And in the night I see the lights, and remember what she told me_

_Forever she loves me, Queen of the lights—_

"_Ah_!"

"It's really good, isn't it?" Ul said, hearing the amazement and surprise in her assistant's voice, "A song for a mother..."

She turned to look at her assistant.

Her smile disappeared.

A loud thud.

A scream.

_Tears_.

* * *

A full week had passed. After so much practice and so much preparation, promoting their album despite Natsu's broken arm, it was finally time for Fairy Tail's Comeback and Album Launch. About a few hundred fans of the blossoming boy band had gathered at Magnolia Theater since afternoon, excitedly anticipating the singers.

_A lot sure happened the past week_, Lucy thought. Then again, maybe it was only like that because she _knew _of the things that happened the past week because her father bought her a new flat-screen TV. For all she knew, that much happening around the lives of her friends were probably _normal_.

Firstly, there was Natsu's car accident which made it to headlines the day after. The fans who were chasing them were properly disciplined by the company and because Fairy Tail didn't want to press any charges, they were let go with autographs from the Fairy Tail boys. Meanwhile, Natsu and Erza were surprisingly rapid healers; Erza found a new car and drove around well without any trauma. Natsu was still getting used to _not _playing the drums while his hand healed.

Secondly, Sabertooth's album launch _immediately_ after Fairy Tail's was also a hot topic. However, Lucy didn't bother with it. She was only waiting for their MV to be released.

Lastly, the press caught sight of Gajeel and Gray on Sabertooth's MV set and thus, the 'personal closeness' of the rival groups was established. Several online articles were published featuring pictures of Gajeel and Rogue and Gray and Sting were circulated, making the die-hard fans squeal in joy because their princes were close friends. Lucy was even lucky (or _un_lucky) to have come upon a website where fans wrote stories about them—and it was surprisingly about boys' love. _She shivered_.

The blonde looked up from her iPad mini and looked around the small powder room. The people were frantic; make-up artists running around here and there, people were bringing Fairy Tail gifts from their fans, staff from the studio coming in and out saying some things the blonde didn't quite understand. The mirror on the wall, the one with light bulbs all around it, reflected Lucy's image as she sat on a brown couch, earphones on. Erza Scarlet sat beside Lucy, her face sporting a number of bandages. Even with that, though, she looked just as beautiful as always in her fuchsia pink dress.

To her left, Levy sat looking at the wide TV in the room. Fairy Tail was currently performing their title track '_Storm Song_' in the studio and the fans were going _crazy_. Natsu, left arm stiff as a stick on his side, ran around the stage, reaching out to the fans with his _able _arm. Because he couldn't play anything just yet, Jellal was invited to play the drums in his stead while he was a full-time singer, lapel microphone secured around his neck. Gray and Gajeel, too, despite having to play their respective string instruments, were interacting with their fans as they sang.

_And yet, the fans don't know that they're not as _dreamy _as they try to appear_, Lucy laughed. She had now had it in her mind that not everything you see of people on TV is real; sometimes, they're just putting up a front or trying to act cool. In Fairy Tail's case, they were trying to maintain an image. She smiled in resignation; _it comes with their jobs, I guess_.

Lucy closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch. It had been a long time since she was relaxing on a couch with her Sarah Brightman playlist ringing in her ears. Maybe it was good that she came with Levy there. Besides, the twins had gone home and her condo unit was empty as a poor man's purse. She'd probably be bored to death.

A few songs had passed before Lucy noticed that someone was sitting closely beside her. At first, she didn't move and just observed. When she noticed that the powder room sounded pretty empty, she opened her eyes and saw her senpai sitting beside her, opening a huge box, apparently a gift from fans.

"You're awake," he greeted, not looking at her but was busy tearing the wrapper apart.

"I wasn't sleeping to begin with," Lucy replied and took out her earphones. "Well, congrats on your comeback… Guess you'll be pretty busy now…"

"Hmm…" Gray said in reply. The wrapper was now successfully off and he opened the box to see that it was full of dried mangoes. He smiled widely and took out a pack. "At a bad time, too, since exams are coming up soon…"

"I feel you, senpai," she agreed and accepted a slice of dried mango Gray offered her. "By the way, I, uh… I got a TV from dad…"

"_Really_?!" the singer exclaimed and looked at her proudly. His childish grin was full of excitement and energy, as if he wasn't drenched in sweat from running around the stage with a guitar slung around his shoulder. "That's _great_! You're _really _starting to live like a human! I'm proud of you!"

"Oh, shut up, senpai," she said. Gray patted her shoulder heartily but she shoved it away. "Is Natsu okay, though? His arm didn't hurt during the performance?"

"Can't say," the brunette replied. "I'm sure it must've hurt but it's Natsu to complain about pain, y'know?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Lucy continued to eat the dried mangoes while Gray proceeded to open another gift from the fans. She sighed at the onset of another awkward silence with her senpai. She really didn't like them; they were unnerving and annoying. Just when they were warming up to each other, too!

"So—"

"Hey—"

Both stopped and looked at each other. It seems like Gray was thinking exactly what she was and tried to avoid the dead silence. One look was all it took and the two broke into friendly laughter.

"I, uh…" Gray started, putting down the pack he started to open, "I was wondering if you've had dinner already…"

"No, I haven't really eaten yet…" the girl replied honestly, "Some udon would be nice, won't it?"

"I guess…" he replied in a toothy grin. "But we'll have to finish a few interviews before we can leave."

"That's fine. I'm not that hungry, anyway," Lucy assured, raising the pack of dried mangoes. It felt so nice to not be bickering with Gray. When he was being nice, her senpai was a really sweet guy.

The door opened and it revealed Erza, checking for Gray. When she confirmed that he was there, the red-head looked at Lucy with eyes unsure before muttering 'He's here' and letting in two women; one had dark purple hair that fell just above her shoulders, her gentle eyes slanting up and ending with perfectly long lashes. Lucy would have wanted to look at her a bit more if it weren't for the woman beside her, who caught her attention in a heartbeat.

"_The hell_—?!" Gray exclaimed. He looked at Ul's companion, then to Lucy, and back to the other woman again. He was utterly _speechless _but he couldn't imagine what Lucy must be feeling when she suddenly grabbed his hand tightly with her shaky one, as if searching for support. More than willing to give it to her, he entangled his fingers with hers and pressed.

The woman with Ul was just… _scary_. Her long hair was pulled up into a neat bun, the color of which Gray was only too used to—the exact shade of gold as the shaking girl beside him. The woman's eyes, though tired-looking and droopy, was the same shape, their irises, though differing in color, holding the same kindness and innocence. Her nose, her lips, even the color of her skin was so _familiar _it was _scary_.

Lucy's grip on Gray's hand was getting tighter and tighter until she finally broke into a series of held-back sobs. Her other hand was searching… searching for something to grab onto… something to give her some sort of comfort. She finally found it when Gray's free hand grabbed hers and he rested it on his lap.

"_M-Mother_..?" she whispered; whispered so softly, it was almost _hopeful_.

* * *

**WEIRDO BLABS: **I'm not sure with this chapter… Maybe I could have written the last part better? Aaaaaaaaaaaanyways, anyone who had any clue at all at the beginning of the chapter that this would happen? Are you guys surprised as I am? Hm…? Questions (most of them, anyway) will be entertained in the next chapters so hold on to your horses. **Here, have a pocky**.

**(1) xxHoshinoSoraxx **was kind enough to correct me: **GEMI IS A BOY and MINI IS A GIRL**. This is how things are supposed to be. And since I'm stupid, I didn't know that… *laughs stupidly* Anyway, thank you, Sora-chan, for correcting me. However, in order to make things less complicated, I'll stick with the twins being both boys. I hope that's okay to all of you guys. Thank you for being so understanding. **HIRO MASHIMA-SENSEI, **forgive me…!

**(2) **I searched google and _unfortunately_, Ul doesn't have any known last name (or should I have searched harder?). So I decided to use Ultear's. Hope nobody minds. ^ _ ^

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws:_** ILuvPkemn, CreateElements, the love of lucy and gray, HanbyuelJang, titania-tenshi, AnimeChibi123, HanbyuelJang**_

_Reviews:__** guest (05/14/13): oh... as i've already established JeRza in the previous chapters, i don't think NaZa will be going in later... also, Natsu's main pair in this FF is Lisanna... hope you understand... ^_^**_

_**guest (05/15/13): thanks so much! ^_^**_

_**LittleKnitt, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, dianaloveanime, xxHoshinoSoraxx, CreateElements, fairytaillover416, pikaqueen, Psyka, 1fairytaillover, GoldenRoseTanya, Hannah Eucliffe, Drunkly, WolfieANNE, horsejumper88, phantomhive19, ILoveCelestialIce, LittleWonderland, oishi-.-ME, iMary7, jdcocoagirl**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_


	35. Chapter 32

**WEIRDO BLABS: **Let me clarify something because I think I made a mistake in the previous chapters. In this story, Lucy was seven when her mother met the plane accident. Now, it's ten years later. Just wanted to make points clearer.

Moreover, I hope you guys won't be too confused with Lucy #1 (the real Lucy) and Lucy #2 (the Layla-Lucy).

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO-**_  
__Where your questions will finally be answered. Well, most of them, anyway._

_The first thing she felt was pain; so much pain that she couldn't feel a thing. She couldn't even _remember _anything._

_She weakly opened her eyes, the sound of clucking chickens coming in from some place close. There was a strong scent that tickled her nose and she scrunched it and drew her head away weakly from it._

"_Y-You're awake," said a voice, small and shy. Moving her gaze to where the voice was coming from, she saw a little girl with pale gray hair and beautiful emerald eyes. The blush on the girl's cheeks went well with her naturally pink lips that she tugged up into a small smile._

_The girl excitedly walked toward a corner in the room, which was apparently the kitchen. She grabbed a bowl and a spoon and sat beside her. "Please eat this—"_

"_W-Who are you?" Her voice, tired and yet very gentle, escaped her mouth. She felt her forehead sting and she touched that part; a thin piece of cloth met her touch._

"_Lilly," the girl replied, "I'm seven and I live here with my grandparents… W-What's your name? How old are you?"_

_Unable to reply, she looked outside the window, twilight drawing near and the sky turning crimson behind the mountains. Who _was _she? Why can't she remember anything before the pain she felt? And what was this _one word _that kept repeating in her head?_

"_M-Miss?"_

"_I… I don't know… I don't know who I am," she said, tears welling in her eyes, "I can't remember…"_

"_My grandma says she and grandpa found you by the river with all those cuts and bruises all over you two days ago," Lilly explained, the hot porridge steaming in her hands, "We don't know how you got there but maybe you're sick or something. Do you really not remember anything at all?"_

_The woman looked into the pensive green eyes of the child and her heart beat in her chest, the motherly instinct in her awakening, and the same word practically screaming in her head._

"_I remember one word… just one," she said._

"_What is it?"_

"_Lucy…"_

Lucy. That was the name she went with since then. She acted as mother to Lilly and daughter to her grandparents until they died. Apparently, the household lost Lilly's mother a few years before she got there. 'Lucy' now resolved to fill in that empty seat on the kitchen table. With no recollection whatever of her past, she lived a new life with a new identity; she didn't even bother to find out who she really was, where she came from or how old she was.

In her new identity, she was Lucy.

And now, Lucy was ten.

* * *

"This is _really _freaky, man…" Natsu exhaled as he watched the blonde woman with Jellal on the veranda from the living room of their band dorm. After the surprise their Lucy had back at the studio, she had a panic attack and fainted. Deeming it wise to give the girl some space, Levy took her home while the band, Ul, Erza and Jellal took Layla back to the dorm to sort a few things out.

"She _really _looks like Lucy," the Salamander added and turned around the couch to face Erza and Gray's adoptive mother, Ul. They were gathered around the living room table over a hot cup of tea, trying to hear the full story.

"No, Natsu. It's the other way around," Erza corrected, "Lucy looks like _her_."

"But this is _seriously _messed up, though," Gajeel interjected. "We thought the girl's old lady was long dead!"

"Okay, Ul…" Gray was very serious as he crossed his arms over his chest and sat back on the couch to look at his adoptive mother's eyes sternly, "_Explain_."

"I guess we should save the catching up for later, huh, _Julius_?" she said, a smile on her face.

"_Julius_?!" Erza, Gajeel and Natsu chorused.

"_Ul_!" Gray was now rapidly changing his face color from pink to red to purple. "_Not now_!"

"Why so?" Ul smiled ever so sinisterly, her lips ghosting over the tea cup's brim, "You don't want your friends to know that your real name is _Julius Gray_?"

"_Julius_… Gray?" Natsu and Gajeel repeated, laughs held back with their will power. The two were restraining themselves so much that they were shaking and Natsu had to grip his pants so tightly to relieve some of that bliss.

"Yeah, yeah, my full name is Julius Gray Fullbuster," Gray said and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "So can we get _over _that and go to the part about Lucy and her mom?"

There was a silence between them, a pause that was interrupted by the sound of Ul's tea cup being placed on the table. A snort came from Gajeel and then Natsu had to elbow him in the ribs to keep them from laughing. They _did not _want to mess with and angry Gray Fullbuster… or rather, _Julius _Gray Fullbuster.

"Okay, then," Ul started, "I'll explain but I only know so much…"

Erza coughed before she spoke; apparently, she also found 'Julius' a very intriguing name. "Anything that you know is already of great help, doctor Milkovich."

The doctor took a deep breath before starting to speak. "Lucy—"

"_Layla_," Gray corrected, "Her name is _Layla_."

"Whatever, Julius," Ul snapped, "Do you or do you _not _want me to tell you anything?" Defeated, Gray only grunted in resignation, his cheeks turning crimson again. "Anyway, Lucy—or _Layla_, whatever you want to call her—had been my assistant at my volunteer clinic in a small village abroad. I found out that she had amnesia when we were casually talking a few months after she started working for me but since she seemed happy with her new life, I really didn't bother asking about it anymore. She lived there with a girl named Lilly and her late grandparents; she stood as the girl's foster mother."

Ul pulled out a photo of Layla and Lilly from her folder and carefully laid it out on the table for everyone to see. From the looks of their faces, Ul knew exactly what was going on in their minds, as she had thought of it when she saw Julius' blond girlfriend a while ago. "She looks a lot like the blond with Julius, Lilly does. If not for her hair and eye color and the shape of her eyes, the two could pass off as twins. Maybe that's what kept Lucy in that village without trying to trace her past; she was a mother before she was her own self.

"About a week ago, I was listening to the album you sent me after a hard day's work. I asked Luc—_Layla_," Ul immediately corrected herself when she saw that Gray was about to react for the second time, "to bring me some hot choco. When she came in, she was fine and we even talked a bit. But suddenly, she gasped and fell to her knees. She remembered something and I just don't know what. I escorted her back to her house and talked to Lilly about finding her old family.

"Lu—Layla was against it, though. She didn't want to leave Lilly alone in the village and asked me to forget about everything that happened. But a few days later, Lilly called me up at my main clinic and asked me to take Layla to her family because she had been having dreams every night. The poor girl didn't want to see her suffering. Layla finally agreed and told me that one of your songs sounded nostalgic… _That_'s why I came to you, Julius…"

Gray had no care anymore if his mother was calling him that god-awful name. He just wanted to help Lucy; seeing her like that, hyperventilating and eventually fainting into his arms was really frustrating… He couldn't do anything.

He looked at Jellal and Layla, speaking at the balcony outside, then turned back to Ul. "It must have been '_Queen of the Lights_,'" he said. "It was a song Lucy wrote for her mother. Maybe the song came through to her memory core. Other than that, I have nothing else to say…"

"It's possible," Ul said, her eyes on Layla as well, "It's very drama-like but it's possible…"

"But will she remember anything soon, though?" Natsu asked, "I'm pretty worried about Luce…"

"As a doctor, I'd suggest therapy but…" Ul sighed and slouched on her chair, "You'd be waiting forever for an appointment with any reliable psychologist…" The woman looked into her son's eyes, "I think it's up to your friend now, Julius…"

"Yeah," he replied and hoped that Lucy was awake and knew what she needed to do, "I'll tell her that…"

* * *

"So… you're…?"

"I'm the son of your colleagues…" Jellal answered graciously. "You used to sing in broadway together with my parents…"

"I'm sorry, I really don't remember anything…" she replied. The woman knew it was going to be hard to catch up with the ghosts of her past but rather than feeling sorry for herself, she felt worse for the people who knew her. They looked so pained whenever she says that she doesn't remember them at all.

_And that blonde girl from before_…

"It's all very overwhelming," Layla finally said to the blue-haired man beside her. His name was Jellal and he was the son of her former co-artists who died in the plane crash which she survived at the cost of her memory. "I'm sorry if I can't remember you at all... If it means anything, though, you're _very_ familiar to me."

"It's okay, miss Layla," Jellal said, taking Layla's hand in his large ones and smiled as if he saw an angel, "We're all very confused right now… but that aside, we're all very happy…"

"_Layla_..." she said, "That's my name, isn't it?"

The smile on Jellal's face faded quite a bit as pity for the woman filled his heart. It must be frustrating to be a stranger to yourself and the people who love you.

"Jellal..." said a third person from behind him. Jellal looked and stared into Erza Scarlet's smiling eyes. _People who love you, huh_?

"Let's have a chat sometime, Jellal," Layla offered and looked over his shoulder, smiling at the man's lover. "For now, we should all rest for the night..."

* * *

The smell of home-cooking invaded the room and, along with all the ruckus last night and the fact that he _wasn't_ sleeping in his own room but in one of the guest rooms, it made him all the more awake.

_Bacon_, he thought as he tried to register the smell. The dorm maid must be cooking bacon and eggs for all of them today. However, he didn't remember calling for the house help. She was always made free on weekends.

The brunette sat up and patted his bare abdomen in the dark guest room, feeling his grumbling stomach. Without even debating whether or not he should go downstairs to the kitchen, he drew the curtains open to say hello to the sunshine. Then, he grabbed his gray sweat jacket and went to where the aroma was coming from.

_Oh_...? He walked absentmindedly down the stairs to the kitchen where a blond woman wearing a white dress under the green apron was cooking.

"Miss... _Layla_?" It took a while for the woman to acknowledge his presence. When she did, she smiled lovingly at him and greeted him a good morning.

"I'm sorry... I'm not used to being called _'Layla'_ just yet..." she said and placed a hot cup of coffee in front of the brunette. "Are you hungry? I just finished cooking the first batch..."

"Thank you, ma'am," Gray said and smiled sheepishly at Layla. Her resemblance to Lucy was so uncanny that he could already see what the younger would look like when she reached her mother's age. "But you didn't have to cook since those two probably won't wake up until noon..."

"You're awake, though," Layla said and put a plate of bacon, eggs and honey-kissed pancakes in front of him, "Light sleeper?"

"Just today..." he replied and gulped at the sumptuous breakfast, "I don't sleep well when I'm not in my own room..."

"Sorry about that, Julius..." the woman said in a voice like Lucy's, but much gentler with age, "You really shouldn't have given us your room..."

"No, it's okay, ma'am... The guest rooms weren't prepared so it would be embarrassing if we let you sleep there..."

Layla sat beside him, a cup of coffee in her hands. "Did I know you before I—?"

"_Oh, no_..!" he denied and cut her off before she could finish (and before he could swallow). "Last night was the first time we met."

"I see..." she said, "_Thank goodness_..."

There was a pregnant pause between the two and Gray made quick glances at the woman, her eyes so bitter and sad. He felt obliged to at least make her feel better.

"This is really good food, ma'am..." he praised.

"Thank you, Julius—"

"_P-Please_ call me Gray..." he sweat-dropped.

"I see... Okay... _Gray_..." she said in the most motherly of voices that it made the brunette blush. "So, are you going anywhere today?"

"Yeah..." he said, not looking up from his plate."I'm going to visit a friend..."

"Would that friend be the girl from last night?" Layla asked. The boy's eyes shyly looked up at her and he saw that she was looking past the liquid in her mug.

"_Yeah_..."

"What's... her name?"

"_'Lucy'_..." The woman's thin lips smiled.

"Last night, she... Before she fainted, she said something that I..." Layla breathed in and her grip on the cup tightened. Guilt was undoubtedly eating her up. "Is she my...?"

"Yeah..." Gray answered, "She's your only daughter..."

Layla looked up at him; confusion, guilt, frustration, embarrassment, regret. But beyond all of that, her eyes twinkled with happiness.

"Is she okay?"

"I haven't texted or called her yet, I'm afraid," Gray answered, "I'll drop by her house later to check on her but I'm sure she's fine... She's a tough girl..."

Layla didn't answer but a smile of relief was on her lips. Despite not remembering Lucy, the woman seemed pretty attached to the girl. Mothers _will _be mothers, after all.

"Have you known her for long?"

"Not longer than... six months, I think?" he answered and went back to his meal.

"C-Can you tell me... what she's like?" the woman asked shyly.

Gray smiled and took a sip of coffee before he laid both his arms on the table to start talking. "Well, she's smart and tough. She never falls back. She doesn't want people to see her defenseless or weak, but as much as possible, she wants to be strong for others.

"She's a really good friend to... _us_," he said, trying hard to find the right pronoun. "She's scared of thunderstorms and her most private place is anywhere under a piano."

Layla looked quite surprised upon hearing this. Gray continued, "Someday, she wants to be a broadway singer... As you were ten years ago..."

"For someone who knows her for no longer than six months, you sure know a lot about her..." The brunette realized he'd been smiling; at Layla's remark, he immediately dropped his smile into a shy frown. "I... _envy_ you, Gray..."

"Miss Layla..."

"I... don't even know how to face her because I don't know _anything_ about her..." The smile on her face was sad and full of guilt, "...my own _daughter_..."

"It's not your fault, ma'am..." Gray said and leaned in a bit, "_Please_... Let me help you..."

* * *

"_Princess_..."

Virgo's voice was muffled from behind the door. Although Lucy heard it, she was too tired to go and unlock the door; too torn to get up.

The girl turned on her bed and felt her tired eyes sting from lack of sleep and from crying into the wee hours of the night. She doesn't want to leave the comfort of her dark room today. She just wanted to stay there and contemplate—_think_. Was she dreaming or was that _really _her mother? If it was, how was she supposed to react, believing her to be dead for ten long years? Excited? Scared? _Confused_?

"Don't you have a key or something?" a second voice said. _Senpai_?

"Yes, but—"

"_Give it to me_."

"Understood."

The blonde scrunched her forehead when there was a silence after Virgo's words. Whatever they were planning, she wouldn't leave her house. In the first place, how could she face Gray? She _fainted_ in front of him; that was _embarrassing_. Even the thought of that event made her flush and so she buried her face in her soft pillows.

Soon enough, the door opened with a soft click and light from the living room flooded in. She could distinctly hear Gray dismiss Virgo before he closed the door and walked around. Lucy didn't move; only waited.

"I _know_ you're awake," Gray said, "_And _I saw your new TV downstairs…"

_It's not like I wanted that TV to know more about your career, idiot_, she mentally noted and didn't answer. Even in the darkness of her room, she could see Gray prancing about her carpeted floor in his white jacket, black fitting top and skinny jeans. He eventually got to the curtains and drew it fully, the bright sun rays crawling into her room, her bed and burnt her eyes.

She squinted and covered her eyes; only Gray's silhouette was visible due to the intensity of the light. "Don't…!"

"_C'mon_…" Gray retorted and Lucy swore she saw him roll his beautiful black eyes. He went closer and sat on her bed, "Get up…"

"_No_!" she said and turned around, pillow on her head. "I won't!"

With a strong enough force, Gray pulled the pillow from Lucy's grasp. The force was also strong enough to pull the blonde up, one hand on the pillow and the other on Lucy's slender wrist. One look and he immediately knew that she had been crying: her eyes were red and swollen. The girl didn't look at him but looked away into the dark parts of her room.

"You know, big girls don't cry…" he said and smiled, trying to comfort his senpai.

"_Shut up_…" Lucy exclaimed and put a tangled mess of hair behind her ears. Her eyes drooped considerably and she blinked several times. Apparently, she was sleepy from all that crying and her chest hurt so much it was getting hard to breathe.

"You okay?" asked Gray all of a sudden, his voice inquiring with respect.

"I am…" she replied and put both her hands on her lap, "I'm just wondering why you're here… I mean, are we _really _in terms where we can crash into each other's homes so freely?"

Gray blushed at this remark, annoyed; not only was Lucy making a lot of sense, but she was also being very disrespectful. He heaved a long and deep sigh, putting into mind that she must be under a lot of stress with what happened. "Well, that's… _Anyway_, about the woman last night…"

"What?" The blonde immediately snapped her head to his direction, hopeful and yet expecting a bitter news. "What about her…?"

"That was your mother…" he immediately said without reservation, "Your mother has been alive all these years…"

Lucy grimaced, her hands shaking as they gripped her covers. All the tears must have been used up already, though, as nothing would come out of her eyes. She looked down and felt her chest tighten, her breath shorten.

"_Hey, hey, hey_," Gray said, cheering her on and making her look at him by cupping her smooth face in his calloused hands, "Look at me… _Everything will be fine_…"

"But… It's not fine now, is it?" she asked, one small hand grabbing Gray's and putting it down. She was showing him her weak side, a side so vulnerable, but she didn't even know why. Maybe it's because she had been trying to be strong all these years that she wanted someone to tell her that it was okay for her not to be strong all the time. "Tell me, senpai…"

"Uhm…" Gray coughed and removed his hand from Lucy's skin, refraining from touching her. He was so caught up in the moment that he was letting his emotions drive his actions—_bad _Gray! "She's forgotten everything that happened before the accident…"

"_Amnesia_…" Lucy breathed in defeat.

"I don't know how it's going to work out but we'll work it out together, okay?" he said, his voice encouraging and persuasive, "It's not the end. We'll all help you. We're _here_ so… you don't need to do this by yourself…"

"Doesn't she remember anything _at all_?"

"No—_Not yet_…" Gray said firmly, "But _that's_ what we need to work out."

"How…?"

He smiled widely and put friendly hands on her shoulders, "Fix yourself. Take a quick bath and make yourself presentable… _We're going on a date_…"

* * *

**WEIRDO BLABS: **Okay, I'm not a master of amnesia and in this story, I am sticking to general knowledge to play as my cards. If I wrote anything wrong, please forgive me as I am not a doctor… - _ - Thank you for understanding.

Anyway, how do you guys find Julius? Mehehehe! Yeah, I made that one up so if you don't like it, then that's not my fault anymore.

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws:_** Riebelle-chan, Psyka, xNeko-chaan, Musica Masaharu**_

_Reviews:__** jdcocoagirl, FairyTailAddict21, leoslady4ever, Coolkat88, LittleKnitt, 1fairytaillover, Lucyheartfilla, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, LittleWonderland, BlackPoppy.0, GoldenRoseTanya, Psyka, Rockin' angels, 1fairytaillover, Lucyheartfilla, oishi-.-ME, WolfieANNE, pikaqueen, horsejumper88,**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_


	36. Chapter 33

**WEIRDO BLABS: **I'm so tired… stress really leaves you an empty shell… -_-

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE-**_  
__Where a date is always more fun with more people._

That partially cloudy eleven o'clock was perfect and encouraging; encouraging the breeze to blow in the city, encouraging the birds to fly in flocks across the sky and sing their songs as they perch atop the mighty trees, encouraging the people to bask in the sunlight with their wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses.

In fact, the conditions of that day were encouraging Lucy to enter the high-class restaurant. But no matter how it urged her, she couldn't throw away the feeling of anxiety and doubt. Why was she feeling that way, though? She was just going to meet her mother.

_No_. There just are things that are easier said than done.

"_Are you just going to stand there all day_?" her companion asked, pulling a pair of expensive sunglasses from the inside pocket of his white jacket. After he properly parked his motorcycle, he put them on and stood beside Lucy, also taking a long look at the building in front of them.

The blonde held tight to the sling bag around her chest and took a deep breath. "No…"

"Don't worry..." Gray said, his tone hiding his doubt, "Ul and I will be sitting close-by so..."

"Yeah... I'll be fine," she said.

"_Sure you will_," Gray replied, his voice half doubtful.

He started and Lucy walked after him towards the glass doors that automatically slid open. As soon as they entered, Lucy's stomach churned when she immediately saw her mother sitting on a table on the second floor balcony. She was talking to a waiter, menu on her hands. Feet shaking in her boots, she carefully climbed the staircase. She could feel her heart pumping a million beats a second and she felt her vision spin, making her grab hold of Gray's sleeve.

"I'm suddenly so nervous," Lucy expressed and they stopped halfway up the staircase. "My knees are shaking…"

"If you're nervous, imagine how your mother must be feeling," Gray said. The blonde could see his gentle stare through his sunglasses. "_She's_ probably more anxious than you are."

"But what are we even going to talk about?"

"You guys are family... You'll find something to talk about," he smiled, "Now, come on."

The singer's strong arm snaked around Lucy's waist and he half-carried her the rest of the steps up with ease. They walked a few steps more, some restaurant guests staring at the singer beside Lucy, until they stopped two tables away from her mother.

"Well, this is where you go solo," Gray said and stood behind Lucy. He sat down in front of a beautiful woman with purple shoulder-length hair and rested his head on his palm, "Good luck, senpai."

She nodded, and turned by her heel, cautiously walking toward her mother's figure, her back on Lucy.

"_M...Mum_?" she said weakly. Layla looked up at her with an awkward smile on her face; the younger Heartfilia gulped.

Trying hard not to pull her mother into a hug, she sat calmly in front of her. "My name is Lucy..." she introduced. It felt strange, even silly, to be introducing yourself to your own mother.

"So I've been told," Layla replied, the smile not leaving her face. She looked at Lucy, trying to take in every detail of the younger blonde's face; trying to remember anything.

Lucy blushed.

"Would you mind if I... call you _'mum'_?" the girl asked.

"No, not at all," Layla replied, "It's only right for you to call me that, isn't it?"

Lucy smiled at looked down at the table sheepishly. "I guess..."

"Lucy, dear," the mother started, "I just want to apologize if I can't remember anything as of now..."

The girl looked up at her mother, the gentle eyes that looked at Lucy making her want to cry.

"_I-It's okay_," she said, "We have all the time in the world, mum..."

Layla's face lit up in recognition. "It feels... very nostalgic when you called me _'mum'_..."

Lucy smiled and raised her fist to her chest, "At least you remember how it feels... That's good enough for me..."

The older blonde smiled; uncertain.

* * *

The brunette exerted effort in trying to spy on the Heartfilias from their table, about ten meters away. He painstakingly craned his neck to the side and tried to see under his tinted shades.

Only when Ul smirked did he stop and remember that his adoptive mother was there.

"_What_?" he asked and pretended to stretch his neck.

"Don't be such a busy-body," Ul half-reprimanded, "You're girlfriend's gonna be fine."

"_She's not my girlfriend_!" he hissed, keepings voice down. The tips of his ears were turning red at his foster mother's comment.

"_Yet_..." she added, "Anyway, you shouldn't concern yourself with their business..."

"But I—"

"But you _what_?"

"_Nothing_..." he pouted and just took a long sip on his iced mocha.

"Ah, _young love_..."

"I'm not in—!" Gray stopped when Ul was smirking confidently at him. "_H-How can you say that I am_?"

"The eyes _never_ lie, Julius..." Ul stopped to continue reading the magazine in front of her. "You've got the same look you had with your puppy love... What's her name? _Marie_?"

"Mira..." he corrected.

"Right... Mira..." the doctor smiled, "_Her_ name's Lucy, right?"

"_Stop it_..." the brunette flushed.

"She seems nice. Does she sing—?"

"Stop it..!"

"I'm just asking—!"

"Please, _mom_! Stop it!" Gray hid his head in his arms and laid his forehead on the table. He heard Ul snicker before he felt her hand patting his black strands; he remained still.

"It's been so long since you called me _'mom'_..." Gray looked up and saw Ul's gentle smile, directed at him, making him flush even more.

"Sorry, I haven't been calling frequently..." he said after a while. He had always thought of himself as an independent person, but he knew he had family; and for him to take that for-granted was just unforgivable. "I just—_Senpai_?"

Gray didn't even finish when he stood up and hurried after Lucy; the girl was crying, no doubt. Ul, on the other hand, could only watch as her son skipped three steps on the stairs to catch up to the blonde.

She smiled. _He isn't the Julius from two years ago anymore_, she thought. He was slowly exploring the dimensions of his social relationships.

The doctor sighed, stood up and walked towards Layla. Seems like only yesterday when he was still dependent on her.

_And now he's old enough to chase after crying girls._

* * *

"_Senpai_!" Gray called out and tiptoed past the remaining steps. He held tightly to the handle with one hand and to his shades with the other. He also had to stop and smile a bit at people who recognized him around the first floor.

Lucy turned on a corner with ease, the red carpet being so silent under her brown rubber-soled boots. She was covering her mouth with one hand and the other fought past the strangers in her way.

The brunette followed closely behind her, but eventually was led to a stop when she entered the females' restroom. Gray, being the gentleman that he is, stayed by the door and called out to her again.

"Sen-Senpai?" he said, "Are you okay?"

Lucy sniffed from behind one of the cubicle doors and exhaled. "Yeah..." she said, "Just a bit worried..."

"Did something happen?"

"Mum doesn't remember anything even though I've been telling her so much already..." she explained in a voice that was shaking, "She was saying that she was somehow familiar with them but..." Another sniff, "I could see it in her eyes that she only did that so I wouldn't be hurt..."

_That sucks_, Gray thought. Well, he sort of saw it coming anyway. What did he expect? That Layla would remember everything after just one or two minutes of chatting with her daughter? _That could have worked in dramas or in movies but not necessarily in real life_.

"Well... What do you want to do now?" he asked her, "Do you want to go home?"

Lucy sighed twice, then a slapping sound could be heard, before she went out of the cubicle with a handkerchief wiping her face dry. "_No_... I want to take her around town first..."

Gray smiled. "That's a good idea," he agreed, "Maybe there were places you used to go to... Things you used to do together... Those could help, right?"

Lucy nodded and stared up at him, smiling to the best of her abilities. "Yeah... _I'm sure of it_..."

They exchanged encouraging looks at one another; Lucy trying to decide whether she should thank him now or do it later, and Gray debating whether or not he should hug the girl to give her some sort of moral support.

In the end, he decided not to do anything.

"So, where do you want to go now?"

* * *

After running all around town with Gray and their mothers, Lucy and her companions were finally down to their last stop of the day; just in time, too, as it was getting cold and dark, telling them to go back to their warm and cozy homes.

Still halfway up the trail, Lucy could already see the tip of the watchtower's roof, gleaming purple in the twilight. She held tight to the motorcycle's seat and eagerly waited for them to reach the top of that hill.

"Beautiful place," Ul commented the moment she stepped out of the car and had a short look around. "It's so high up and there's nothing that blocks your view of the city…"

Lucy looked at her mother and walked beside her toward the ledge. "We used to come here a lot when I was young," she explained, "You loved this place because the city lights were very pretty to look at at night."

"I can see that they still are," Layla said, half-smiling and half-frowning. "What... What did we usually do here?"

"Well... If it's still early, we have a picnic," Lucy said, "If it's late, we just usually... sit and talk..."

Gray watched as the younger Heartfilia longingly looked at her mother. He felt really sorry for Lucy, but he couldn't do anything more than just that, _right_?

"Julius—No... _Gray_..." Gray turned to his foster mom with a surprised look; first time in her life that Ul called him 'Gray' without being sarcastic or offensive. "_Here_..."

Ul handed Gray his acoustic guitar by its long neck, the strings vibrating slightly at the transfer. "You... brought my guitar..?"

"Thought it would come in handy," Ul said, smiling, "I put it in the back seat so it's perfectly scratch-less... Now, go and make me proud..."

The singer looked at the instrument for a bit then turned his back at Ul. "Thanks... _mom_..."

Without looking back, he slung the guitar around his body and plucked the strings to check if they were fine. The mere sound of the strings made the mother and daughter look at him, puzzled.

"Senpai?" Lucy asked.

"Hey, wanna sing with me for a bit?" he asked.

"_But_..."

Gray strummed away and didn't wait for a positive reply. After playing two chords, Lucy immediately knew the song he was playing.

Gray sang first and smiled playfully at Lucy:

_Queen of the lights had a beautiful face_

_She's got gold strands for hair that shone like the sun's rays_

_She's got baby blue eyes that stared through your soul_

_And her apple red lips would smile at me so_

_Oh… She held me so tight that night_

_But she's gone… The Queen of_

He continued to sing the song until the blonde finally sang with him:

_Nothing lasts forever_

_But her love for me remains so clear_

_And in the night I see the lights, and remember what she told me_

_Forever she loves me, Queen of the lights_

_And the earth will fall and the lights will dim_

_We die and live, we die again_

_And in this life, her words are my guide_

_She's Queen of the lights, she's Queen of my life_

_Queen of the lights had a beautiful face_

_She looked down on me, had a smile on her face_

The sky was completely dark now and the city lights were brighter and more visible. Multi-colored orbs of light flashed and twinkled from where they were.

All of a sudden, like a surge of electricity she'd only felt once before, Layla gasped. An image flashed in her mind: a little blonde girl smiling in her arms and singing the same song being sung in the background, the orchestra of crickets as their ensemble.

The woman took a step back in discomfort; it wasn't painful but it was almost as if the memory was sad and distant.

"_Miss Layla_? Are you okay?" The singing stopped along with the guitar strings, but the crickets continued in the dead silence.

"I... remembered something..." she said in disbelief, looking at Lucy.

The girl gasped happily, eyes wide as plates in their sockets. "What... What did you remember?"

Layla smiled at Lucy, "A blond girl was smiling at me… with a missing front tooth..."

Lucy chuckled but a thin stream of tears escaped from her eyes, "That was me..."

"That was as far as I could remember, though," Layla said, "I don't remember anything else."

"It must have been the song," Gray interrupted and joined the conversation, "Wasn't _'Queen of the Lights'_ the same song that caused your first relapse?"

He looked at Ul and she nodded. "It _could_ be that the music does more to help you than does normal recall and retrace," the doctor suggested, "We could try it and see if it works."

"I..." Lucy spoke excitedly, a suggestion, "I have old records of your broadway songs back at my house... You could... stay there for a while and..." She stopped and her excitement was replaced with shyness as she shook her head, "But if you don't want to, mum..."

Layla's eyebrows raised and her ears perked, as if she remembered something again. In a split second, her face melted into a smile.

"I want to..." Layla said and smiled gently, "I want to, _Lucchan_..."

* * *

"_Layla-samaaa_!" Loki exclaimed, his tears comically bursting out like a fountain from his eyes. He had just gotten over the initial shock of seeing his supposedly-dead mistress and was now swooning over her feet, hugging her by the legs.

"Loki! _Let go_!" Lucy shooed and pulled his collar, "You're gonna traumatize my mother!"

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Loki said and switched to his usual prince-like demeanor, "I was just so _overwhelmed_."

"Layla-sama, please come up with me to the Princess' room so you can get settled," offered Virgo and immediately took Layla's suitcase in her hand. Unlike Loki, she was calm and flat-faced as ever; only Lucy and Loki noticed the tinge of pink that kissed her pale cheeks.

"_O-Okay_..." Layla said and bid farewell to Ul before obediently following the maid. She had decided to live with Lucy from then on in the hope of remembering her past.

She left Lucy and Ul by the doorframe to her home, saying their final greetings for the day. Gray, on the other hand, scurried off somewhere to answer a call from a fuming Erza Scarlet.

"I guess I'll be making quick visits here every now and then while I'm here in Fiore," Ul said and smiled as she and Lucy watched Layla adore the furniture and the coziness of the living room.

"Of course, doctor. Please come any time you want," Lucy agreed. "Thank you, doctor Milkovich."

"Don't worry about it. _Anybody_ with the proper resources would probably do the same things," Ul said and smiled at her, "And please call me '_Ul'_."

The girl smiled before repeating, "Thank you, doctor Ul…"

"And thank _you_, Lucy."

"For what?" she asked, puzzled.

"For taking care of my mischievous son," the doctor answered.

"But I didn't really do anything for him," Lucy said and chuckled, "Senpai actually does more for me…"

"Yes but simply for being his friend, I'm thankful," Ul explained, "I know how much of a handful Julius can be…"

"I beg your pardon? _Julius_?" the blonde clarified, thinking she heard wrong, and leaned in closer to the older woman.

"_Yes_!" the doctor exclaimed excitedly, "His real name is Julius Gray… Didn't he tell you about it?"

"No, I—" Lucy stopped halfway to fight back a laughter, only to have a snort come from her instead, "I'm sorry, he just doesn't look like a 'Julius' to me…"

"I know, right?" Ul said and smiled at her. "Oh, _speak of the devil_..."

Gray was now half-running toward his mother, apparently frustrated from the call he'd gotten. "We need to go. Erza's furious and is threatening to kill me again if I don't get back in thirty minutes…"

"I see," his mother nodded and smiled at Lucy, "I'll leave you two to talk first while I get my car." She turned to Gray now, "I'll be waiting at the parking lot."

"Yeah, I'll be right there," he answered and watched his mother's retreating figure walk away from them. "So, uhm…. Guess I'll have to wish you luck?" He looked sideways to the blonde beside him and smirked.

"Thanks," she said, "I owe you…"

"Don't mention it…" he said, "Your mother called you '_Lucchan_' back there… Was that a pet name she gave you?"

Lucy blushed, "Yeah… I'm glad she at least remembered that…" She looked up at him and smiled even wider, "_So _glad…"

The singer couldn't help but smile back at her when she was being so honest with him about the most trivial of things; it was a first. But the bliss had to stop as he remembered a woman with hair like the flames of hell waiting for him at the dorm.

"Yikes… I'd love to chat with you more, senpai, but I really got to get going!" he said.

"Oh… Of course…" Lucy said, "Don't worry about it…"

"Thanks," he said and hurriedly walked away.

"Thanks to you, too—" Lucy said aloud in a good-bye, "—_Julius_!"

_Ul_, the brunette thought in remorse and humiliation. He didn't even bother to look back and watch as Lucy finally let out the laugh she'd been holding in for a while now.

* * *

**WEIRDO BLABS: **I tried my best to make this chapter as short as possible since it's the end of the Lucy-Layla Arc. I hope the story flowed smoothly and didn't confuse you guys. _Are _you guys confused? Sorry about that… Anyway, I have a special chapter-epilogue something so scroll down to the end of this chapter for it! Go! Go! Go!

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

*****The song I used at the chapter-epilogue is** 'Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel)' **as sung by the** All Angels. I do not own it.**

_Favorites and Follo_ws:_** Flamminghobbo21, XxHergienLavanderxX, o0sHaYeRa0o, WishieS, Made2352, Rose. , Skywaters**_

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_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_

* * *

Lucy walked up to the stairs, every now and then snickering at the thought of Gray's pet name.

_Julius_, she said, a wide smile etched on her face, _Really? That's so—_ She now let out a small laugh as she opened the door to her room. At the foot of her bed was her mother in her pink night gown, staring into thin space and crying silently.

Lucy immediately forgot about Julius and ran to her mother's side. "Mum, are you okay? Why are you crying?"

Her mother jerked and looked at her, only realizing she was there at that moment. "I'm okay," she said and smiled, sniffing and wiping her tired eyes, "I just… suddenly remembered something again…"

"Huh?" the daughter asked and sat beside her mother, worried.

Layla smiled wider and caressed Lucy's left cheek with one hand, "I remembered a song…"

"You did?" Lucy asked and blushed as she smiled.

"Yeah… It was a lullaby…" she said, "Do you… want me to sing it to you?"

The girl nodded and fought back fat teardrops that threatened to flow from her eyes. "Y-Yeah… I do…"

_Good night, my angel_

_Time to close your eyes_

_And save these questions for another day_

_I think I know what you've been asking me_

_I think you know what I've been trying to say_

_I promise I will never leave you_

_And you should always know_

_Wherever you may go_

_No matter where you are_

_I never will be far away_

_Goodnight my angel_

_Now it's time to dream_

_And dream how wonderful your life will be_

_Someday your child may cry_

_And if you sing this lullaby_

_There in your heart, there will always be a part_

_Of me_

_Someday, we'll all be gone_

_But lullabies go on and on_

_They never die_

_That's how you and I will be_


	37. Chapter 34

**WEIRDO BLABS: **'Ts been a while, huh? Sorry to have kept you guys waiting. I've been pretty stressed nowadays, not getting enough sleep. And the ghosts of my past are haunting me that it's so weird! Well, I guess we _all _have these moments. Guys, please bear with me… -_-

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR-**_  
__Where you need to be careful with your big mouth._

The wind chimes swayed in the summer wind; past the window and then over the peach covers of a sleeping blonde on the one-person bed.

She turned and smiled as the sunlight greeted her pretty face, making it sparkle like golden dust was sprinkled over it. She got up.

_No, it's not just another day_

_When people come up with nothing new to say_

_So open those wonder-filled eyes_

_'Cause it's time to say goodbye to the night_

The girl, now dressed in a loose powder-blue dress and a straw hat, skipped happily about what seemed to be a farm house and over to a grassland nearby. She happily skidded past a beautiful flower bed and returned to pick a small bunch of baby's breath to put in her small picnic basket.

_The time we've been waiting for_

_After the spring and just before we fall_

The view changed to feature two male and a female teenager each playing their instruments. The blonde at the very center smiled charismatically as he sang with eyes closed; the blonde girl passing them by, now followed by a brown puppy. The girl didn't seem to notice the three others when she passed, but the three snapped their heads to her direction and immediately ran after her, abandoning the guitars and the keyboard behind.

_Hello, sunshine! Hello, sunshine!_

_Get me lost in you tonight_

_Spread your wings_

_Prepare to take flight_

_Feel the warmth of summer breeze_

_Here in the flutter field_

Now, the female blonde was inaudibly shouting over the top of a hill, the puppy barking beside her. Her face was brought to focus, a wide smile, almost distant, adorning her face. Her chocolate orbs sparkled as she kept the wind from blowing away her straw hat.

She looked beside her and smiled even wider: the blonde male who was strumming the guitar a while ago had appeared beside her, also screaming and yelling inaudibly. Then, he smiled and looked at her before he pulled out a large bunch of baby's breath from behind him and held it closely to the girl's face.

_Come dance with me in the tickling grass_

_Watch the time quickly pass_

_Time with you is time well-spent_

_As my shoulder awaits the weight of your head_

_Worry not about winter at all_

_It's the summer just before we fall_

The sun was now slowly setting and the two sat underneath a huge tree, watching the huge orange orb sink in the horizon. The girl yawned and placed her hand on the straw hat on her crossed legs before sheepishly dropping her head on the boy's shoulders beside her. The boy, surprised, didn't move for a moment; after a while, he smiled and laid his head on hers, their equally blonde strands tangling in a beautiful weave of gold.

_Come away with me (Hands together, let's not let go)_

_To the flutter field (Take chances, let the fears go)_

_Come away with me (Crown of roses for your own)_

_To the flutter field (Seal my lips with your butterfly kiss)_

The boy's hand took the straw hat and slowly leaned down on the girl's close face. Just when the distance was sealed, he blocked the view with the straw hat and the girl's hand held gently onto his.

"_What the heck_?!"

"Shut up, _Julius_! I'm watching!"

_No, it's not just another day_

_It's another chance I get to say_

_After the spring and before we fall asleep_

_I love you, I love you_

The MV ended with Lucy and Sting running after each other in the open field, then Sting catching up to the girl to hold her by the waist, carry her up and swing her around in circles. Gray's stomach dropped.

Immediately after, the TV showed the comeback stage of Sabertooth with their single, "Flutter Field". It was on a weekly music program where they did it, and the fans had completely flocked near the studio and two blocks worth of the street.

"_I never knew about a kissing scene_!" he protested once more, his face now beet red. Gray had his fists buried in the soft couch pillow and he had it clutched so tightly that his knuckles turned white due to the pressure.

"Maybe they really didn't kiss," Natsu said, watching the live performance of their '_frenemy_' band. He absentmindedly handed his bandmate the bag of chips which the brunette rudely shoved away. "Hey! That's not very nice!"

Ul, who was sitting on the solo couch at the far end of the dorm living room, eyed her son through the pages of the magazine she was reading. She finally pushed her reading glasses up the bridge of her nose before she spat, "Julius Gray Fullbuster, you are being such a baby. Your girlfriend is just a pro so be cool about it."

"I told you! She's _not_ my girlfriend—!"

"And so why are you shouting like a jealous boyfriend, then?" she said and turned a page. Natsu nodded in agreement and made Gray slouch back on the couch, a pillow over his stomach and his feet raised on the small center table.

"I was just… bothered," he defended and looked at the screen. Sabertooth was pretty good in terms of musicality; also, Rogue was really good with the keyboard which was the main instrument in their main song. It was almost threatening. "It doesn't mean anything special…"

He glanced over to Natsu who was beside him and saw that he was squinting his eyes as he watched, as if he was on the look-out for something. He was so engrossed at whatever he was looking at that the Salamander didn't even flinch when his phone beeped for a new message.

"Hey, what's so interesting?" Gray finally asked.

"Maybe it's just me but," Natsu stopped and pointed to the TV screen, "I keep seeing a patch on Yukino's left thigh that seems to be expertly covered with make-up."

Gray also watched for it and saw that there _was _indeed a patch, almost a bruise, on the girl's thigh. Well, it wasn't like it was any of his business; however he felt a bit of pity for the girl. Having to perform and have that large a bruise on her leg must be painful.

The small hint of pity, however, turned into a blazing fire of annoyance when the camera focused on Sting Eucliffe and his smile.

"See, Gray?" Natsu said as-a-matter-of-factly. He put his phone in front of Gray's face which made him read the message that the screen showed: _No. That was why I wore a straw hat in the first place. Good thing that the director agree.. Why? Did it really look like we were kissing, Natsu?_

"You were texting her?" he said hotly.

"Why're you so jealous, Julius?" Natsu joked, then squealed in glee when he realized that 'jealous' and 'Julius' rhymed. "Jealous Julius… _Not bad_…"

"Shut up—! I'm not jealous at all!"

"Yeah, you're not," Natsu ended when he excused himself to take a call.

"I'm not jealous," Gray repeated to himself. "I'm not…"

"Do you ever watch anime? Or read manga at the very least?" Ul interrupted and put down the magazine and her glasses on the table. She crossed her ankles and looked at Gray. "Well?"

"Yeah… I mean, I used to… Before we debuted…"

"Okay…" the doctor nodded, "How can you tell if the guy is in love with the girl?"

"Ul, please… I'm not—"

"Answer the question…"

He pouted. He knew where she was going with this. "He—or she—gets flustered whenever the other person is close; gets jealous when they're with other people or doing stuff with other people and they… can't get the other person out of his mind."

Ul stood up and headed up the stairs by the kitchen, "You're forgetting one, though…"

"What?"

"He _denies_," she smirked.

"I do _not _deny—" he stopped when Ul had widened her smirk. _Oh_.

* * *

'_How did Fried confess to you?'_

'_That's way too sudden even for you, Gray. It's also very embarrassing. / / / But he didn't really confess. More like his actions spoke for him instead of words.'_

'_Like? Sorry for being sudden…'_

'_It's a bit embarrassing to explain it in detail but let's just say that I somehow felt it in my heart what he felt for me.'_

'_Sorry, Mira.'_

'_It's okay, Gray. But why are you asking me this? Do you have someone you like now?'_

Gray looked to his left where Lucy sat in the music room, studying the piece before heading out while everyone else was starting to leave after choir practice. He flushed angrily and typed '_No.' _in reply to Mira's text. As expected, talking about it to Mira, of all people, was a bit uncomfortable.

"See you guys on Wednesday," Jellal called to everyone who was within ear-shot. He smiled as they left the room one by one, the footsteps gradually decreasing in number.

"We'll leave now, coach!" Natsu greeted gleefully as he passed by Jellal.

"Natsu, please don't call me that…" he said in a sweat-drop, "Oh, by the way, Gray, Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Gray, his eyes drooped twice than usual, turned to him slowly and lazily walked towards him by the piano. By then, everyone had left the music room and the two men were alone.

"What?" he asked emotionlessly.

"Are you okay?"

"Hm?"

"You were really distracted today…" Jellal opened and arranged the things in his sling bag, "Is it about the comeback?"

"N-No…" he said, his heart starting to pump faster.

"Your mother, then?"

"No…"

"Lucy's mother?"

He grunted.

"Lu-chan… then?" he smirked. Jellal turned to properly face Gray whose face was turned away from him and looking out the window. The teacher could see the tinge of shyness and humiliation in the proud boy's eyes. Jellal laughed.

"What's so funny, Jellal?" Gray asked acidly and his embarrassment burning his clothes.

"So it _is _about Lucy?"

"…"

"Have you confessed?"

"You're not getting the point, Jellal!" he hissed and stomped like a five-year-old in a tantrum. "I just… I'm confused."

Casually, the cerulean-haired teacher grabbed a stool and sat on it, prepping himself for a _long _talk. "About what? C'mon, tell '_onii-san_' everything…"

Gray sneered but leaned on the piano anyway. Better Jellal than Mira; even though they weren't buddy-buddy, training with Jellal made him grow on the brunette—trust, friendship and respect.

"I'm not sure if what I feel is the real deal… I mean, I've felt this way for Mira but…" he stopped and shook his head, "I don't know… I'm just a bit confused…"

"But… you like her _more _than just a friend?" he asked.

"I guess," he confessed, "But it's still a bit vague to me… I'm not sure…"

"You like her more than a friend but you're not sure if you _love _her?" Jellal clarified.

"Yeah… Something like that…"

"Then don't worry about it!" Jellal said and stood up immediately, putting a friendly hand on his student's shoulder to pat him. "Start there and work your way up… Just don't let that confusion and your emotions get in the way of training and work, okay?"

"Jeez, that's the least bit helpful!" Gray hissed, "That doesn't even help me understand about my feelings for Lucy _one bit_!"

Jellal's eyes shot wide open after Gray's words, half-anxious and half-amused. "Err…"

"_What_?!" the brunette hissed.

"Hey, _Lucy_…"

The singer's body stiffened but he tried hard to move his head sideways, just enough so he could see behind him where the door was. He could feel every vein in his body pulse with anxiety and panic. What has he gotten himself into?

Right there, by the door frame, was the blonde girl they were talking about; her hazel eyes were unusually blank as they stared at his dark ones.

_Me and my big mouth_, he thought furiously.

* * *

**WEIRDO BLABS: **Hm… -_- sorry for the short and crappy chap...

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites and Follo_ws:_** Sankyuu, NIGHTANGEL21, SaKaShUsGr, Made2352, Rose. , Skywaters, Potato-Chan, StarGem16**_

_Reviews:__** horsejumper88, Psyka, Liliana28, GoldenRoseTanya, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, vampirempress, Rockin' angels, LittleWonderland, iMary7, 1fairytaillover, fairytaillover416, pikaqueen, oishi-.-ME, WolfieANNE, IloveCelestialIce**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_


	38. Chapter 35

**WEIRDO BLABS: **I've been trying to drink milk to relax myself and I'm drawing again so I'm really glad. If you guys wanna see my works, you can check out my DeviantArt account (my username is _**r4m3nlvr**_). Anyway, I'll be writing a GraLu one-shot pretty soon so you guys better watch out. ^_^

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE-**_  
__Where life is complicated in more ways than one._

"I'll be leaving now…" Jellal's voice sliced through the awkward atmosphere as he hurriedly picked up his schoolbag, pat Gray's shoulder and ruffled Lucy's hair before exiting the room and leaving the two, their eyes moving randomly from corner to corner of the room.

The footsteps sounded so distant now, and the Fairy Tail leader coughed up some courage to conjure some words. "_Err_, how long… have you been standing there?"

"L-Long enough to get the gist of what you guys were talking about…" Lucy answered and looked down, cheeks heating up. Gray wasn't doing any better as he found himself unable to move. "_Uhm_…"

"So you… you heard the last part, huh?" He feigned laughter—a nervous chuckle.

"That depends," she looked up at him and smiled, full of doubt, "Did you mean it?"

The brunette bit his lower lip and sheepishly rubbed his nape. "It's a bit more complicated than that," he said, "I'm still… trying to figure it out." His voice was losing its firm conviction, the one it always had, and he could feel his throat dry up while the temperature of his face continued to rise.

"Senpai…" Lucy started and took a step toward him, "It's okay for me if… you… _like _me—"

"It _is_?!" he yelped, both hands stiffening at his sides now.

"_But_!"

"'_But_' what?"

"But… I don't really… feel the same… towards you…" Lucy said in between deep and apologetic breaths. "But we can still be friends, right? I… want nothing to change…"

Gray waved his hands in front of him and smiled but the stinging in his ego could not be masked, "That's fine—_Better_, actually. This is just some sort of crush. It'll pass."

The blonde looked up at him and smiled, "S-Sorry, senpai…"

"Don't worry about it…" he replied in a normal it's-okay-no-harm-done fashion. He even patted the girl's shoulder as he went by her, "Well, I'll be leaving now. I've got to a meeting to go to—"

"Senpai—"

"Say '_hi'_ to your mother for me, okay?"

Gray left giving himself a mental face palm; Lucy could only watch his retreating back, looking into the future of what seemed like an awkward friendship with her senpai.

_So much for _'nothing to change'.

* * *

Natsu yawned as he stretched his body lazily on the bench, his sneakers making a squeak as they rubbed against the peach tiles of the hallway. He looked around, trying to hide his face with his baseball cap. The people of on that floor were mostly crewmen of the studios, some were big-time producers and yet still, some were famous stars in their respective field.

The pale gray walls were very boring, making the shadows that glide on them look like puppets in a shadow theatre. Huge frames that hung on these walls hosted portraits of supernova stars across many generations; they were boring all the same—wide, toothy grins and their faces slapped with an inch thick of makeup. The marble columns and the potted palm trees inside the huge green vases also—_very boring_. Sighing, Natsu counted the people on that floor as far as he could see; then, when he got bored, he would stretch again and pout, his hand on his cheek, elbow on his knee.

How long had he been waiting there? _Ten minutes, max,_ he answered and scooted over when a woman sat beside him. He hid his face even more and turned to the other side. _Where in the world are Gray, Erza, and Gajeel_? Weren't they supposed to come together ten minutes ago for a meeting?

"E-Excuse me…" the woman beside him said. Natsu looked carefully at her so as not to reveal too much of his face and was happily surprised by pale gray hair and shy eyes tucked under a similar baseball cap to his.

"You're—"

"You're Natsu-san of Fairy Tail, right?" the girl asked and raised her cap so he could see her face fully, "It's so nice to run into you."

"Sabertooth's _Yukino_, isn't it?" he smiled gleefully and took off the cap before he held out a hand, "Nice to meet you personally, too."

"Seems like 'Sabertooth' has been more of a surname, huh?" she said, the hint of sadness in her eyes not escaping Natsu's keenness.

"I, uh… I don't mean to pry but are you okay?"

"Eh?" she exclaimed and now looked as if she was fighting with herself whether or not to talk. Whichever side of her it was, the side that told her not to say anything won her over. "No… I'm fine…"

"Hm…" said Natsu and examined her expression with a knowing look, "If you say so…"

"But thank you for your concern, though, Natsu-san. I… I really appreciate it," she smiled shyly.

"So how's the leg?"

"_Eh_?" Needless to say, Yukino was surprised—even scared.

"I saw a huge patch on your leg when you performed live about two nights ago," he explained, "It looked like a pretty bad bruise."

"I just… _fell _down the stairs, that's all," she answered; Natsu found it hard to believe, though, but didn't react, "I'm fine now."

"Well, you'd better keep away from those stairs," he said.

Yukino laughed, "If that's even possible—"

"_Yukino_."

The two teenagers looked up and jumped at the black-haired woman standing close-by. She was wearing an all-black secretary suit, behind her was Sting in a casual black long sleeve and white jeans. _Where's the other one_? Natsu asked himself.

"It was really nice to talk with you, Natsu-san," Yukino said when she stood carefully and bowed to him. "It _really _is."

"Yeah… It was…" he replied, his gaze never leaving Minerva's. "Take care now…"

Yukino walked—half-limped—toward Minerva and Sting. The Salamander somehow felt pity for Yukino; she looked as if she was screaming for help deep inside. _Meh, not like it's any of my concern, though. _His mind automatically played a mini-show of himself playing a prank on the pale, dark-haired woman with them.

He shivered. _Wonder if I'd survive if I do that_?

* * *

"_You're late_," Makarov sternly spoke behind his desk.

It was a clean desk; obviously, he had been signing the paperworks due him and had his office assistant clean it up. The mahogany table was topped with a glass surface that was just simply elegant in that shade of dark gray. There was a folder at the center and a few post-it notes on the right side. A small bonsai plant in a pink vase was at the top left corner of the table.

Behind his desk, Makarov sat on a leather swivel chair that was five times his size. The dark of the chair was a stark contrast to the almost-neon yellow curtains that concealed the huge glass window beneath it. White lilies expertly embroidered on the silk cloth decorated the heavy curtains eight feet high.

Makarov jumped off his chair; considering his child-like height, jumping was a must. He landed gracefully on the fully-carpeted maroon floor, his brown boots not making any sound as he did. The small man passed by the pale green walls of his office, the huge portrait of himself and his grandson, Laxus, ten years ago, and down three steps to the living room-like area of his office. There, on the long, curved moss green couch, sat Erza and his three high school boys, Natsu, Gajeel and Gray.

The master let himself rest on a similar curved couch opposite his grandchildren and breathed in; the smell of tea was very relaxing. Should he have some while they talk? The '_vrr_'-ing of the airconditioner agreed with him on this and after deciding for some tea, he pressed a button to call for his secretary ordering for two orders of tea and three of hot choco.

"Yo," he greeted with one hand to them, "What took you so long? I understand you have practice during Wednesdays but it's past nine."

"I was early at the studio, Master," Natsu said. He had on his hand a blue baseball cap which he must have been sporting with his khaki jeans and plain white shirt. Of course, his scarf was wrapped around his neck like a collar. "These three were late."

The old man stared at Erza, waiting for a reply. "Gajeel went to visit his friend," the woman in a simple pink shirt and faded blue jeans answered. Her hair, which was tied to a high ponytail, moved accordingly as she turned to glare at Gajeel beside her.

"Rogue called in sick," Gajeel answered and crossed his muscular arms. His leather vest squeaked and he stretched his long legs under the table, making his tattered jeans outline his long legs. "He doesn't usually get sick so I tried to visit him at their dorm but he wouldn't let me. I ended up looking for their dorm in vain."

_Rogue sick and Yukino injured? Sabertooth must be one heck of a danger-prone group, _Natsu mused.

"And Jellal held Gray up after choir practice," Erza said, now eyeing Gray. The latter had stayed behind at their school after practice to talk with Jellal about something. He had told them to go on ahead to the dorm without him and that he would catch up immediately but it didn't seem to be so immediate.

"He talked to me about my homework," he pouted, "I asked him if I passed okay and he was giving me some pointers."

Makarov sighed as he turned his gaze from Gray's brown uniform to the empty table in front of him. His poor boys must be getting tired so it's only right if he finished the meeting as soon as he could.

"Life seems to be very complicated for all of you right now," he said, "But I hope you'd still have energy for your performance in front of the sponsors this Saturday night."

"Will do, old man!" Natsu said gleefully. "We'll have Jellal clean-up our performance tomorrow."

"That's good. Erza arrange for Jellal's rehearsal tomorrow to be at the stage," Makarov said. As he finished, Kinana, his office assistant, entered the room with the Master's order on a tray. "So, how have you guys been? School doing okay?" Erza secretly smiled behind her tea cup; the old master turns into the loving grandfather—one of the small joys of being under Makarov Dreyar.

"_Meh_," Natsu exclaimed. He took a careful but thirsty gulp from the mug, "School is doing fine except that finals are coming pretty fast."

The old man's gaze was redirected to Gajeel, who had been staring into space for a while now. Because he wasn't really the kind of person who got especially sentimental over anything and so seeing him worried about something also worried Makarov.

"Gajeel."

The bassist looked up.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a authoritative way, "You all know I don't like you keeping your worries from me."

Annoyed, Gajeel leaned forward to take the hot choco in his hands. "It's nothing. It's just that it's strange for Rogue to be sick. And even stranger for him to miss work… That guy… He's such a workaholic."

"Hey, _yeah_!" remembered Natsu, "He wasn't with Yukino and that Sting a while ago. And Yukino was also… _limping_…"

"Limping?" the master asked, intrigued. As usual, Natsu set the mood for the family-type of conversation.

"You mean the bruise?" Gray asked him; Natsu nodded, "We saw a bruise on Yukino's leg when they were performing. They were… trying to conceal it with make-up." The guitarist paused half-way to yawn, his hand covering his mouth.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," the master said and then stood up on the couch, "But for now you boys need to go to bed. I know you're tired."

"Thanks, old man!" Natsu said energetically as he stood up. "We'll work hard."

"Yeah, well, sleep hard first," the man joked.

One by one, his grandchildren left the square office. But even after they had already left, Makarov stared at the memory of their figures that lingered by the doorframe. For rising superstars, they sure were loving. He was glad that he had made them debut, even if it was a bit too early with their unpolished abilities. It was a good thing they were slowly getting past that with the support of their friends; and Makarov himself wouldn't want to be the last to give them a loving push.

'_We saw a bruise on Yukino's leg…'_

'…_it's strange for Rogue to be sick…'_

_A loving push_, the old man mused, playing with his moustache.

A while later, he picked up his phone and dialled his blood grandson's phone number, who picked up immediately after a few rings.

"Hey, Jiji," Laxus greeted, "Something the matter?"

"Not really. I just wanted to hear the voice of my cute grandson," he answered.

Laxus' deep laugh from the other side of the line made Makarov smile. "C'mon, old man. I know you better than this."

"Well, it's good to know," the older Dreyar expressed. "Listen, are your Raijinshuu still available for work?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, there's something I need them to look into…"

* * *

"When's that exam coming again?" Natsu asked.

"A month and a few weeks from now," Gray answered. "I think we'd better do some advanced studying because by then we'll have no time to do it."

Fairy Tail was now on their way down their office building and to their dorm for a well-longed sleep. This was taking a long time, too since Natsu and Gajeel hated elevators and they had to take the stairs.

"Bummer…" Natsu pouted. "I hate studying."

"Well, you're gonna have to if you're going to college," Erza pointed out. "Should those sponsors say yes, you guys may be going abroad and therefore go to college there."

Gray saw Natsu freeze at the thought of 'college'. Well, the poor guy was never a fan of books and studying.

"Then maybe we should take courses in performing arts instead of the usual pre-law and pre-med courses," Natsu answered. "Lu-chan _did _say she'd go to Julliard. Maybe we should go there to, huh?"

_Kriing! Kriing!_

Natsu stopped going down the stairs to answer his phone. "You guys go on ahead, I'll be right with you after taking this."

"Okay," answered the brunette leader. He, then, turned around and continued his way down the cemented stairs.

He was only down three stairs when Natsu rushed past the three of them and ran out to the exit without a word but leaving a strong feeling of anxiety and anger.

* * *

"I'm really sorry you had to come with me here today, Lu-chan…" apologized Lisanna for the millionth time that night.

"It's okay, 'Sanna," the blonde answered and the passed the glass doors of Makarov Dreyar's office building. Her red miniskirt was pulled up as she stepped up the step. "But what do you have for Mr. Dreyar?"

In Lisanna's chest, she hugged a paper bag closely. She pulled the sleeve of her yellow shirt up to be more comfortable and turned to Lucy, "Mira-nee is in New York right now and she got me new lenses for my camera. At the same time, she got Master the baseball jersey he's always wanted. Mira-nee asked me to drop it off with his assistant."

"I never knew the old master was a fan of baseball," the blonde expressed and mused over the small old man cheering for a famous baseball team. _Cute_.

"He actually started liking baseball when his grandson started playing back when Laxus-san was still in high school," Lisanna explained, "Don't you think it's so adorable that he tries to like the things his grandson likes?"

"It is," she smiled to herself.

The two ladies were still walking when a teenager rushed past them without even seeing them, and thus almost ran over Lisanna.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, jerk!" screamed the blonde at the boy who ran ahead of them.

"Natsu?" Lisanna muttered, looking at the aggressor. Lucy also looked and saw that it was _indeed _their pink-haired friend. "_Natsu_!"

"Natsu!" Lucy's voice called out along with some others who called out Natsu's name in chorus with hers. Looking behind her, she saw Erza, Gajeel, and the person she didn't want to see just yet, _Gray_. _Great, now the effort of avoiding him during practice will be in vain._

"What happened to Natsu?" Lisanna asked the other Fairy Tail members.

"We don't know," Gray answered, "He suddenly ran past us after taking that call."

"It's his parents," Gajeel said, "It's best if we leave him be. He's always been able to take care of his mother's calls."

"He's _always _like that when his parents call. Why is that?" Lisanna asked.

"That's not for me to tell you," the brunette pouted. "He'll make his way home. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get home myself."

"I'll go talk to him," Lisanna said. She, then, patted Lucy's shoulder and ran off after Natsu.

"Lisanna, _wait—_!"

The silver-haired maiden didn't even bother to look back; she only continued running until she was no longer within sight. Lucy pouted at this; not only was she alone, she was alone with Fairy Tail and with Gray.

"Lucy, do you need a lift home?" Erza asked. The blonde looked up to her to greet her, accidentally locking gazes with Gray for a split second.

"No, I… I can just call Loki to come fetch me," Lucy said. Actually, she just didn't want to be alone in a small space with Gray.

"Oh, okay, then," Erza said, "Gray, why don't you stay behind and wait for Lucy's bodyguard to come?"

"_What_?!" the two chorused.

"I know you have a company bike in the basement, Gray," the scarlet-haired woman said, "It wouldn't be too nice to leave a lady alone at this time of the night."

"Why don't _you _come with her?"

Erza glared at the brunette, her eyes speaking murder. At this, neither he nor Lucy could fight back and could only watch her and Gajeel's retreating back.

"Erm…"

"Yeah…" Gray chuckled, "'_Erm_'."

"You know, you don't really need to—"

"If you didn't hear back at the music room, would you agree to have me wait for Loki here with you?" Gray asked.

The blonde smiled, "Yeah…"

"Then if you don't want things to change between us," he started awkwardly, "I suggest that you let me be."

"Okay… senpai…"

The two walked to the entrance of the building and sat on one of the steps of the stairs. Occasionally, they would chuckle or smile to themselves but they didn't talk, though. They just sat there, listening to the sound of the vehicles that passed them by in the street. It was almost as if the noise of the environment was the music and it made things all the more comfortable.

It was almost as if nothing changed between them at all.

* * *

**WEIRDO BLABS: **Oh, no! Classes are about to start! _Nuoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! _anyway, this chapter was a bit hard to write since I had to keep switching POV's and there was so much detailing to do... ugh! I hope I pulled it off... What do you guys think?

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Reviews:__** horsejumper88, 1fairytaillover, oishi-.-ME, dianaloveanime, Rockin' angels, CelestialDays, NIGHTANGEL21, gralu4ever, FairyTailAddict21, leoslady4ever, Psyka, vampirempress, Lucyheartfilla, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, Lillyviolet, Rose. , WolfieANNE**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_


	39. Chapter 36

**WEIRDO BLABS: **Hey, guys! Yeah, it's been a long time and I apologize for being back to the lousy updater I am (no, I'm not proud of that). Anyway, in order to make up for lost time, I'll be updating with this ultra-super-extraordinarily long chapter. Wow, this chapter really _is _the longest one I've written so far! I hope you bear with me. **WARNING: **Not much fluff… meh… But I don't think you should miss this because I'm really fond of epilogues now.

**EPILOGUE: **This chapter includes another chapter-epilogue because I wanted to write a NaLi moment… I'm really starting to like Lisanna now! ^ _ ^

**NOTE: **Most of the songs in this fanfic might be just poems I whipped up. But if **I do **use real songs, I will make sure to give credit accordingly so **please do not sue me!**

* * *

**-CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX-**_  
__Where there is reciprocal liking, irony and a… hug?_

Layla heaved a happy sigh as she set her freshly-cooked lasagna pan on the small kitchen table. As she did, the golden strands that escaped her bun cascaded down her face, just in front of her blue eyes. She tucked them carefully behind her ear and sat in front of the wooden square table, her hands clasped together on the surface. For a moment, she forgot the reason for her sighing when she got amused at how the tablecloth for that week was a match to her powder blue dress that was cut modestly above her knees, the sleeves puffed in an elegant manner. After smiling at this thought, her daughter's sigh got her attention back to the reality that was in front of her.

She hasn't even stayed for a week yet but she had regained some of her memories, _as well as_ her motherly duties.

"_Lucchan_, it's not good to be sighing in front of the meal," she said and smiled at her daughter who was on the chair to her right. The younger blonde had been sighing since the night before; Layla wasn't worried just yet but she sure was getting there.

Lucy looked up at her mother with an assuring smile. As usual, her dark brown eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and kindness that was paired with her sweet voice as she said, "I'm okay, mum. I was just thinking of something."

"Is that the same thing you've been thinking of since last night?" the mother asked and flicked some dirt on the sleeve of Lucy's plain white blouse. "You've been like that since Loki took you home."

"W-Well… _I guess_," she smiled. The pale blush didn't escape Layla's motherly radar.

"I won't force you to tell me now but tell me when you're ready, okay, dear?" The girl nodded and started putting some lasagna on her plate. Then, Layla turned to the other troubled teenage girl on their table: _Lisanna_, who had gotten there just a few minutes ago in their school uniform. She came there to talk with her daughter that early in the morning and, being the courteous host she is, Layla invited her to have breakfast. "_'Sanna, dear_?"

The shy girl looked up, her silver locks bouncing up and down with her head, "Yes, auntie?" Apparently, Lisanna was still getting used to Layla's presence, having thought she was dead for a decade.

"Go on and eat or you'll be late for school." She pushed the lasagna bowl closer to the silver-haired girl.

"That reminds me, 'Sanna," Lucy said after she hurriedly swallowed the food in her mouth, "Were you able to catch up to _him_ last night?"

"_Him_?" the other girl asked then realized who her friend was talking about, "_No_. He ran out of sight before I could even call out to him."

"I wonder what's wrong. He's been looking so stressed lately."

"It's getting _me_ worried, too."

"But it _should_ worry you considering your… _relationship_ with him," the blonde teased. Although the other didn't deny it, Lisanna laughed it off as if asking her friend to stop teasing.

"_Oh_, is this boy the one that 'Sanna likes?" Layla interrupted and reminding the girls that she was there with them. Lisanna blushed and continued eating her meal. "Is this boy someone I _know_?"

"Erm… _Mum_…"

"_What_?" Layla asked innocently, "I'm just _curious_…" She turned to Lisanna and leaned in closer, interested, "I'm happy you have someone you like, Lisanna… That way, your high school life is more colorful."

"_T-Thank you, auntie_," the girl expressed with a sweat-drop, "I'm also happy that you're teasing me about _the same thing_ you used to tease me with before you… _disappeared_."

"Well, it's only natural for us to talk _boys_, isn't it?" the mother replied, "Even Lily used to—" Suddenly remembering her adopted daughter made Layla stop in her shy ranting. She missed her other daughter badly, but talking about Lily in front of Lucy must be painful on the younger Heartfilia's part. "Anyway, I just wished _Lucchan_ would talk about boys with me."

"_Mum_…!" Lucy protested with a shy smile, "_You're embarrassing me_."

"But you _never_ talk to me about the guys you like!"

"That's because I _don't_ have any guys I like…" she replied, shaking her head. _Really, mum can be pretty nosy at times_.

"But there _have_ been boys who confessed to you, _right_?"

The blonde's ears rang and her heart did a small back flip, remembering her senpai's confession a few days back. She felt sorry for her senpai but she couldn't just lead him on when she wasn't feeling anything strong for him other than _friendship_… _right?_ "How would confessing help? That wouldn't make me like them any more."

"_Actually_," Layla started, "Knowing that someone likes you romantically makes you like them back unconsciously. It's called _reciprocal liking_."

Lucy looked up at her mother, her eyes asking for confirmation and assurance that what she'd just heard was indeed true. Her mind suddenly replayed Gray's confession like an old romance film.

She blushed. Layla noticed, of course.

"_A-ha_!" Layla squealed and put both hands on her cheeks, "So someone _did_ confess to you! Who is it, dear? Is it someone I know? Oh, _I hope he sings_!"

Lucy groaned as she shyly continued eating, her hands shaking as she was aware of the butterflies in her stomach. _Mum is just so nosy at times_, she repeated.

* * *

Lunch break on Thursdays—Lisanna's _favorite_ break. Why? Because the school gardener always comes to trim the rooftop hedges on Thursdays; which means, there won't be any students loitering because of the '_pesky and talkative old geezer with the rusty grass cutter_'. Lisanna, however, after actually getting to know the man, preferred to call him _'Macao'_.

So today, as the girl walked past the man and chatted with him for a short moment, she took out her camera and the new lenses her sister had bought her from New York. She took a quick portrait shot of Macao and his goofy smile before proceeding to the benches nearby. There she looked for picture-perfect scenes and took photos of them: a rare blue-winged butterfly trying to free itself from its cocoon, the laughter of the girls on the ground in the middle of their bento meals, the falling of the water droplets from the sprinklers on the green leaves of the bushes as they made small rainbows in space.

Lisanna enjoyed this kind of lunch break. It was silent, it was warm and sunny but not too hot and the way Macao whistled in the tune of an old '80s song told her that he'd had a great week with his son, Romeo. She smiled as she once again took a shot of the gardener, stolen this time, happy with his work.

_Happy with his work_, she thought. She, too, in the near future wanted to be happy with her work. She wanted to take pictures and maybe even shoot films, documentaries and other visual media. She wanted to be a film director.

Squinting one eye as she looked through the camera, Lisanna scouted for more pictures to shoot. Then just when she was about to ignore him, she turned to look at the boy in his chocolate brown uniform and scaly scarf leaning on the railings as he rocked back and forth, his peculiarly _pink_ hair following in the way that his head moved.

The girl smiled and let the camera hang by her neck as she walked towards him. Now that she was closer, she could see that he was having a conversation on the phone.

"—so I need to go now. I love you, mom. _Bye_."

Lisanna's eyebrows shot up curiously; was it her or was Natsu in a hurry to end that conversation? Her question was answered when he had sighed after hanging up: _Yes_, he was in a hurry.

"_Natsu_?" The boy turned quickly to her before she could even finish calling his name. For a split second, he seemed to be very drained; but when he saw her, he immediately smiled as he always had.

"Hey, _'Sanna_. Good to see you…" he said and waved his free hand, the one without the bandage, at her.

"Good to see you, too, Natsu," she said and stopped just in front of him. "How's the arm doing?"

"Recovering," he said and raised the injured left limb, "What're you up to?"

"Oh, just trying out my new lenses," she answered, "You?"

"Nothing…" He smiled wider at this and put his palms behind his head, "Just… hanging around."

The girl took a quick shot of him and immediately looked at it on the camera's screen. "You don't look very fine to me…"

"_Huh_?" he said and dropped his hands on his side. "What do you mean?" He gave out a little chuckle as he said this and looked at his photo, too.

"I dunno… Your smile doesn't look at all _too happy_," she said and deleted the photo. "Do you want to be honest with my camera this time?"

The girl took the camera and prepared to take another photo of him and Natsu's happy smile dropped. He looked up at the vast expanse of the sky and smiled sadly, his green eyes ever saying he was tired. Her heart felt for him and Lisanna followed after him when he sat down on the floor.

"This is more like it," she said, reviewing his photo.

"How did you know?" he asked and craned his neck back. "I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it."

"Well, I can tell by the pictures I take," she said, "Remember the old saying _'A picture paints a thousand words_'? I guess I've gone beyond that and '_read between the lines_'."

Natsu laughed through his nose and stretched his arms, "You're really good at reading me. It was the same when we first met..."

"Will you tell me what's going on with you, then?" she asked and looked worriedly at him. He stared back at her, a mental persuasion pleading him. "It's something about your parents, isn't it?"

The pink-haired boy looked ahead, at Macao in the middle of his work, and sighed. "_Yeah_..."

"Please tell me..."

"I can't... Don't worry because I can get past this..." he assured and tried to feign a smile again. It failed.

"You know, sometimes those people with the widest smiles cry the hardest…"

"..."

Once again, the boy's attempt to convince her was in vain and there was a pregnant pause between them. Macao moved to the next hedge and cut there, occasionally eyeing the two as his cutter snapped.

"They... want me to quit Fairy Tail..."

"_What_?" she said in disbelief, because of what she heard and because he had opened up to her finally, "Why's that?"

"Being an only child, they want me to inherit the company my dad runs. They want me to study abroad and take up a degree in Business Administration and Finance.

"Of course, I told them I didn't want that kind of life. And that they should just find someone else to hand down the company to but... they've been very persistent lately. I'm worried it'll escalate into something even more, I—!

"I just can't get them to understand that _music is my life_! And I can't enjoy it if they want me to _run a business I have no idea how to handle_!"

The silence that filled the entirety of the space around them made both Natsu and Lisanna aware of the distant snip-snapping of the grass cutter, the whistling of the purple-haired man, the sound of the sprinkler system and the chit-chat of the students on the floors below them. Natsu found himself tightening his grip on his pants right after he had blurted out those pent-up words inside him.

He felt angry; so angry that he felt like he could breathe fire and just destroy everything in sight. _What kind of parents force their will on you_? Among all people, Natsu didn't like being controlled. That's why he was into music in the first place. There, he could be free; he could express and be himself. He could _breathe_!

Natsu heaved a deep sigh and then smiled. It felt good to have gotten that out of his system and now he felt light for the first time in a long time.

"Are you feeling better now?" Lisanna asked and took a shot of their feet.

"_Yeah_," Natsu chuckled, "_Much_ better... Thanks, 'Sanna..."

"I can't say that I understand you because I _don't_. And I can't tell you what to do because I wouldn't know what you _can_ do," she said and crossed her legs, "but I can tell you that I'll be here to listen to _whatever_ it is you have to say."

Natsu smiled and felt the warmth in his chest and his cheeks. "I know... Thanks..."

"So… are you going to tell the Master now?"

A pause.

"Yeah... I am..."

"_Okay_..."

Another pause.

Natsu leapt up and stretched, refreshed as if he were a new man. Then, he fixed his scarf and put his hands on his waist, turning to Lisanna. "I best be off now, Lisanna... Thanks again for everything... I owe you..."

"No problem," she replied and took a snapshot of Natsu again, "I'll take your photos as compensation."

"I was actually thinking..." he said shyly and scratched his nape, "Are you free t'night?"

"_Eh_?" she blurted out, blushing now.

"Can I treat you… to _dinner_? We've only got to practice at the studio for a while and after that... I'm free..."

"Oh—"

"B-But if you're busy, I can always postpone it," he said.

"I... _I'll wait_...!" she said, looking up at him almost desperately. "I also have to drop something off at the Master's office anyway, so..."

"So it's decided, _then_!" he squealed, "I... We'll try to finish early so you—"

"Oh, no... Please take your time... I'll be fine waiting for you..." she said.

"Thanks, 'Sanna... I really think things will be looking up from here on..."

* * *

The brush strokes were so fine that the painting almost looked real. It embossed from the ten-by-seven-foot portrait that was tightly screwed onto the wall.

_The Master had looked almost the same when the painting was made,_ Lisanna thought. He had less wrinkles and gray hair; his moustache was thick as ever, though. His slowly-greying eyes were firm and yet gentle as they proudly twinkled, one hand on his grandson's shoulder. He was wearing his regal white coat with the furry collar and shoulder pads. To his bottom right, a teenage Laxus Dreyar also smiled for the portrait as he stood in a similar coat to his grandfather's, but this one of navy blue and silver specks.

Lisanna couldn't help herself and took a photo of it as she stood in the office, marvelling about its elegance.

"I don't usually let people take photos of my office," the Master said from behind Lisanna. She heard the ruffling of thick paper, then cloth; she turned. The master was now smiling widely at the jersey in his hands. "But since your sister has done me this favor, I'll let it slip." He put on the baseball helmet and struck a batting pose.

"Nee-chan had always told me about how you wanted those," Lisanna answered and sat in front of Makarov's mahogany desk. "I'm also glad to be seeing you after so long, Master."

"Yes, I am, too," Makarov answered, "You've grown _gracefully_, Lisanna."

"Thank you, Master," she expressed, "Oh, and... I hope you don't mind me waiting here in your office..."

The Master couldn't help but feel proud when he saw Lisanna's blush, "Anything for my grandkids..."

He took off the helmet and did a little bit of scanning on Raijinshuu's report file. "So, you and Natsu are dat—"

"N-No, Master—!"

"_Ehem_..."

Both Lisanna and Makarov looked up, at each other and then at the visitors by the door, who were at the top of the three-step stairs. There were two of them: a man and a woman.

The man, a young adult in his mid-twenties, was dressed in a white long sleeved polo shirt. His black coat, slacks and shoes went well with his sleek black hair which was combed neatly to the back—not a strand out of place. And just so the man would not look so monochromatic, he had a red tie on, which brought out the color of his eyes. They were equally red, Lisanna noticed, and she saw their aristocratic glare behind his glasses.

The girl, then, turned to the woman in front of him.

_She's older_, Lisanna deduced; probably in her late thirties or early forties. Despite the wrinkles that started showing up on the sides of her mouth and eyes, she was a peculiar beauty with her black, emotive cat-like eyes under double eyelids. She had a nose that was just pointed enough to tell the observer of her Western descent. Her naturally thin yet pouty lips were glossed with pink lipstick. Her figure was flaunted by the pale gray overcoat she wore and it stopped just below her knees. To top it all off, she had on her feet red kill-heels.

_Peculiar indeed_, Lisanna thought. And most peculiar of all was the color of woman's waist-length hair: _salmon pink_.

"_Sakura*****_," the Master blurted and coughed.

_Sakura_?

"_Master Makarov_," the woman said. She and her companion walked down the steps to the room's lounge.

"It's good to see you, Sakura," the Master greeted and went down to meet the woman. He gestured for her to sit down and she did, but her companion continued to stand behind her. "Where is Hiro******?"

"My husband had to take care of business at our office here in Fiore so he will not be able to see you today," she said with a kind smile.

"Natsu didn't tell me you were coming, though," said the Master and sat opposite them. He, then, asked if they would care for beverages. The woman declined his offer with a smile.

"Natsu doesn't know we're in the country," she said and crossed her legs further, "We're only staying a few days."

_Natsu_?

The Master's expression turned into a dark one, "I reckon you are here on... _official business_?"

The woman smiled, apologetic. "I can see you're somewhat aware of it so there's no reason to hide any longer... Yes... _We are_..."

All was silent for a little while and Lisanna had wished she wasn't there; although her presence was left forgotten, she felt as if their conversation was one she _shouldn't_ hear.

In the middle of the quiet, the rustling of paper could be heard and the woman's companion—_Her assistant, no doubt_, Lisanna commented—handed her a small folder.

"Thank you, Sebastian*******," the lady said and put the file in front of the Master. "_Master_..."

"And this is _what_, Sakura?"

"It's a... _proposition_ for our official business..." she said and paused to find the appropriate words, "_We want our Natsu to quit the band_."

* * *

"So, you mean you'd let me play the keyboard despite this thing, _coach_?" Natsu raised his bandaged left arm in front of Jellal for good measure. The latter had just told him that he was now allowed to use both arms as he was surprisingly recovering fast.

"Just don't overdo it," Jellal answered and smiled eagerly, "But as agreed upon, I'll be on the drums because you need to focus on your singing." _And can you please stop calling me _'coach'?

"Cool!" The Salamander raised his right arm up gleefully and did a sort of wave dance, "Thanks, _coach_!"

"You're really hyperactive today, Natsu," the _'coach'_ commented, "What's up with you?"

Gajeel scoffed mockingly and turned his head to the side, walking up beside them. "He's just excited because he's going on _a date_."

"_Hey_!" the pink-haired drummer snapped his head at Gajeel's direction, ready to strangle him. His cheeks now had the same pinkish glow as his hair.

"A date? _With whom_?" Gray spoke for the first time since they started walking out of the studio. Natsu was almost startled by his voice. He, Gajeel and Jellal had noticed that Gray was somehow being very quiet and has been like so since the night before. They made no comment whatsoever, seeing that it was some sort of personal issue that may have had something to do with his adoptive mother's prolonged stay in their dorm.

A playful idea ran through Natsu's mind and he quickly changed his facial expression. He walked beside Gray and said, "A date with _Luce_."

It worked like a charm and the brunette's head snapped to his direction lightning-fast. "_What_…?!" His words were steaming, like hot knife through butter; Natsu had hit a pretty thick nerve.

"Yeah... She asked me first..." he continued and wanted to sound as playful as possible, "But I was thinking of ditching her—"

"You little—!"

The Salamander slapped the back of Gray's neck. "Relax, _Jealous Julius_... I'm not dating Lucy..." he said and stopped Gray's hands from beating his face to a pulp. "But you sure as hell need to step up your game if you don't want me to get to her first."

Gray blushed and realized he was being played. Meanwhile, Natsu was patting him heartily on the back and encouraging him on to 'make his move'. Gajeel was only silently snickering at the side as they walked. Jellal, on the other hand was consoling him and telling him that Natsu's suggestion may have been right.

"I have no plans of continuing it," he announced. They passed by a crowded area of the building and made a few greetings to the people they passed by: famous actors and actresses, TV hosts and other celebrities as well as producers and directors. "I told you guys it's just a crush and it'll be gone soon enough."

"_Yeah_," Natsu rolled his eyes, "That's what you said about Mira... And you ended up harboring five-or-so years of _unrequited, one-sided love_!"

"Thanks for _emphasizing_, flamehead," Gray said acidly, his ears red. What Natsu said was true, though. But at least now, Gray was older, wiser, and hopefully, more self-controlling. He didn't want to risk ruining his friendship with Lucy because of some crush.

They continued to chat like this until they reached the door to the President's office, a huge brown wooden one. Natsu grabbed the knob and turned it. When he did, the door silently opened on its well-oiled hinges, freeing the muffled bellow from inside.

"_How can you say that_?" It was a high-pitch voice, that of a girl's.

_Lisanna_? Natsu immediately recognized the timbre of his friend's voice. Curious, he went through the door and followed the short hallway that led to the receiving area. His three other companions followed his lead.

"Why can't you understand that what you want isn't what your son wants, ma'am? If he does this, he will be very unhappy and I doubt you would want that." Her voice was kindly pleading, respectful and still persuasive.

Natsu stopped just before the area which the wall of the hallway didn't cover. He waited; no, they didn't know they were there yet. The door was silent and the carpet deafened their footsteps.

"I understand that you are his friend, young lady, but I wouldn't say that you know what's best for my son... _I do_," a gentle female voice said in reply. The three men behind Natsu looked at each other: _Whose mother was that? Yours?_ Natsu, on the other hand, didn't need to be asked whose.

"But can't you please _reconsider_? Have you even ever seen him perform? How happy he gets when he does?" Lisanna argued back patiently.

"This is only _temporary happiness_, I'm afraid. My son is better off with a secured future as the CEO of our company," the other woman replied, "Thus, _Natsu needs to quit Fairy Tail_."

Utterly surprised, Natsu's eyes widened to the size of tennis balls and his hands balled into tight fists, ready to fling in all directions. The men behind him were surprised as he was.

"So she went this far," Gajeel whispered to Natsu and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's your plan?"

In one quick breath, Natsu huffed and stomped out of hiding, down the steps and toward the conversing people in the Master's lounge.

"You will find all legal documents in the file, Master. As well as contracts, recruitment proposals for the one to take his place and the amount we are willing to pay in order to—"

"_Mom_!" Natsu bellowed, his anger gushing now. All eyes were on Natsu, eagerly waiting for the next thing that would happen.

"_Young master Natsu_," Sebastian exclaimed.

"_Natsu_…"

"Dear, I..." His mother stood up and debated whether or not to approach him. However, the way Natsu glared disapprovingly at her made her stand on her spot. No matter how good a lawyer she was, she couldn't argue with her son's anonymous stares—they were almost that of a stranger's.

The boy shook his head, disappointed. "Good evening, _mom_, Sebastian..." he said monotonously between gritted teeth. His knuckles were shaking and he just wanted to let all of that anger go. "Master, I'm sorry for this trouble. I'll be leaving now."

"Oh, sure, son," Makarov agreed, "We'll talk about this later."

Natsu rushed past his mother, thanked Makarov and grabbed Lisanna's fragile wrist to drag her out of the room with him. Everything happened so fast that they disappeared before anybody could react. They were all silent. All confused. All looking for answers.

A long and awkward silence kept everybody frozen.

At last, Makarov made a move and snapped everyone out of the initial shock that had happened. "Well, Sakura, it seems as though you will have to come back some _other_ time."

Sakura looked down at the file and took it, a sad smile on her face. "Yes... It _does_ seem as if I'll have to make a better argument for this case. Thank you for your kindness, Master Makarov."

The old man smiled and the wisdom in his eyes twinkled, "Anytime, child... But remember, sometimes you _think_ you know what's best for them. But in the end, _only they _can figure out whatever it is that will make them truly happy.

"A parent's job is only to support them _lovingly_."

The woman bowed and started to walk away, in deep thought. How strange, she mused, that she had won hundreds of cases for strangers... and yet she couldn't win over her son.

_Isn't that ironic_?

* * *

**WEIRDO BLABS: **What's funny is that it's the first day of classes and our teachers ditch us! *laughs* I thought students were supposed to be the ones ditching the teachers but it's the other way around now! What is the world coming to?!

*** Sakura **is a name I randomly assigned because Natsu's mother isn't really named in the anime, right? And so I thought, "What name would be fitting?" And then it came to me that she had pink hair like that of cherry blossoms. I was going to name her 'Cherie' at first but then if she had a Western name, Natsu's name should also be sort of western so I stuck to 'Sakura'. What do you guys think?

**** Hiro **is also a name that is not mine but I took liberty of naming Natsu's father with. Why? Because the creator of Fairy Tail in the first place is Hiro Mashima-sensei and so makes him, sort of, like Natsu's father. I know, I know… I'm not thinking straight but, hey… it was worth a shot!

***** Sebastian**. What better name to give to a male butler? I **don't watch Kuroshitsuji **but I at least know that Sebastian is the most common name given to butlers in TV series.

**ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: **

_Favorites/Follows: __**Midknightwalker, KawaiiChickenNugget (VERY catchy name... me likes it! ^^), danielajcjdl, annamydoll, lalapie203, Trylan Aire, Redbear108**_

_Reviews:__** CreateElements, leoslady4ever, 1fairytaillover, Le' CarolinnaXannej421, oishi-.-ME, Mini-Silver, GoldenRoseTanya, teacupcococake, WolfieANNE, fairytaillover416, Carmelo efa (guest: 06/03/2013), Guest (06/02/2013), horsejumper88, phantomhive19, Guest (06/01/2013), Psyka**_

_Did I forget anyone? Feel free to PM me. I'll feel bad if I didn't get to acknowledge anyone who gives me so much inspiration. : )_

* * *

_Please support my collab fanfiction with WolfieAnne,__** The Last Celestial Mage**__, and maybe my other FT fanfictions: __**Another Shot at Love, Good Taste, Massage? **__And __**Girls and Shopping.**_

* * *

**CHAPTER EPILOGUE:**

"_N-Natsu, where are we going_?!" Lisanna asked. She had been asking him for the past minute and he didn't seem to be listening. Natsu's grip on her wrist only tightened and his pace hastened; she was being dragged like a rag doll.

People stared at them as they passed by. Natsu's disguise, a mere pair of sunglasses, were the least bit helpful in hiding his pink hair. They noticed them immediately, and Lisanna wouldn't be surprised if news about this was going to be circulated tomorrow. She cried inwardly.

"Natsu, _please_! At least tell me where we're going!"

The boy made a sharp turn and led Lisanna to a dark and deserted alley between two buildings. After walking a few more steps, he turned and glanced if there was anyone who might have followed them there.

"Natsu..." she said and hesitated to touch him, "Are you okay—?"

Without warning, the boy grabbed her wrist forcibly again and pulled her to a really tight hug.

"N-Natsu?" she said. Lisanna waited for Natsu's words; he usually was talkative but tonight... he was being so silent. "_Natsu_...?"

The boy didn't talk but just hugged her even tighter. "Natsu, y-you're crushing me...!" she pleaded. But to no avail, since he didn't let go but held her all the more closer. She could now feel his rapid heartbeat and his shaking hands: tired, restless... _scared_.

The girl couldn't talk anymore. There was nothing needed to be said anyway. She could only hope that he didn't crush the camera sandwiched between them... and hug him back the best that she could.


End file.
